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tfBRARY  OF  PRINCETON 

JAN  2 4 2008 

TMEOLOOICAL  SEJMiNARy 


r'-m- 


on  the 


„ MISSION  IN  KOREA 

of  the 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 

by 

ROBERT  E.  SPEER, 

Secretary. 


[Printed  for  Use  of  the  Board  and  the  Missions.] 


tTbe  JBoarD  of  jforeign  ^isoions 

of  tbc 

IprcsbBtcrian  dburcb  in  tbc  S.  B. 

156  ipiftb  Bvenuc,  flew  J^orft. 

1897. 


Analysis  of  Report 


I.  — Introduction..' i 

II.  — Historical  Sketch 2-9 

1.  Roman  Catholic  Missions 2-5 

2.  Development  of  Protestant  Work 5-9 

(i.)  The  Motives  of  the  Christians 6-9 

(2.)  Is  the  Work  Genuine? 9 

III.  — Methods  and  Policy  of  the  Mission 9“3i 

1.  The  Native  Church 9-22 

(i.)  Organization 9-13 

(2.)  Requirements  for  Membership 13-17 

(3.)  Care  of  the  Native  Church 17-19 

(4.)  Self-Support 19-22 

2.  Education 22-27 

3.  Medical  Work 27-28 

. 4.  Woman’s  Work 28-30 

5.  Missionaries 30“3i 

IV.  — Problems  and  Dangers 32-45 

1.  Political  Aspects  of  Christianity 32-35 

2.  The  Political  Condition  of  Korea 35-37 

3.  The  Problem  of  Bible  Translation 37-40 

4.  Comity 40-42 

5.  Property 42-43 

6.  “The  Christian  News  ’’ 43-44 

7.  Are  More  Missionaries  Needed? 44-45 

V.  — Conclusion 45-47 


•V/v 


I.  Introduction. 

I present  herewith  my  report  on  the  work  in  Korea,  where 
Mr.  Grant  and  I spent  the  month  of  August.  Leaving  Nagasaki, 
Japan,  in  the  evening  of  August  ist,  we  reached  Fusan  the  next 
morning.  From  Fusan  we  went  by  sea  to  Chemulpo,  and  thence 
in  a small  coasting  ship  to  the  Ta  Tong  River,  in  the  north,  up 
which  we  sailed  in  a small  boat  to  Pyeng  Yang.  After  a week 
in  Pyeng  Yang  we  traveled  across  the  country  to  Seoul,  where 
we  attended  the  mission  meeting.  After  ten  days  there  we  rode 
overland,  through  a flooded  country,  from  Seoul  to  Chemulpo, 
whence  we  sailed  for  China  on  September  2d.  I would  express 
to  the  Board  my  appreciation  of  Mr.  Grant’s  assistance  and  com- 
panionship. We  were  together  constantly  for  the  three  months 
spent  in  Central  China,  Japan,  and  Korea,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
overstate  the  great  comfort  and  help  he  was  ever  giving  to  us 
and  to  the  missionaries. 

II.  Historical  Sketch. 

The  Korea  Mission  is  one  of  the  youngest  Missions  of  the 
Board.  Several  Missions  have  been  organized  .since  its  institu- 
tion, but  they  were  in  fields  previously  occupied.  The  Korea 
field  is  the  last  field  entered  by  the  missionaries  of  our  Church. 
Yet  in  none  is  the  work  meeting  with  more  marked  success,  or 
are  the  prospects  for  the  future  more  bright. 

1.  Roman  Catholic  Missions. — Our  first  missionary,  H.  N.  Allen, 
M;  D.,  now  the  Minister  of  the  United  States  to  Korea,  entered 
the  field  in  1884,  and  so  began  resident  Protestant  mission  work. 
The  Rev.  John  Ross,  of  Manchuria,  had  visited  the  Korean  fron- 
tier in  1873,  and  had  subsequently  translated  portions  of  the 
Gospel  of  Luke,  and  then  the  whole  New  Testament,  into  Korean, 
and  had  even  visited  the  valleys  of  the  extreme  north  of  the 
country,  where  many  were  found  ready  to  confess  Christ  and  to 
receive  baptism. 

Long  before  these  efforts,  however,  the  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries  had  toiled  and  striven,  rejoiced  in  success  and 
gladly  met  martyrdom  among  the  Koreans.  The  Very  Rev- 
erend Father  Wallays  says  that  as  early  as  1592,  under  the  great 
general  Hideyoshi,  Japanese  Christians  “were  able  to  announce 
the  true  religion  to  their  Korean  prisoners,’’  but  the  zeal  of  Father 
Gregory  de  Cespedes  amongthe  people  in  1594  met  with  no  suc- 
cess. For  two  centuries  practically  nothing  was  accomplished, 
although  the  Catholic  priests  in  Peking  are  said  to  have  taught 
from  time  to  time  the  ambassadors  whom  the  King  of  Korea 
sent  annually  to  take  tribute  to  the  Emperor  of  China.  Toward 


4 


the  close  of  the  last  century,  however,  a group  of  students,  seek- 
ing enlightenment,  interested  themselves  in  Christian  books, 
which  had  found  their  way  in  from  China.  This  led  to  visits  to 
the  Catholic  missionaries  in  Peking,  fresh  supplies  of  books  with 
crucifixes  and  images,  and  the  conversion  of  a number  of  men, 
who,  in  the  absence  of  any  priest,  baptized  one  another  and  took 
Christian  names  and  soon  organized  a church,  patterned,  so  far 
as  they  knew,  after  the  Roman  order.  The  movement  spread, 
and,  in  spite  of  persecution  and  the  banishment  or  beheading  of 
the  leaders,  numbered,  it  is  said,  4,000  Christians  in  1794,  the 
year  in  which  Jacques  Tsin,  a Chinese  priest,  reached  Seoul. 
The  inhibition  of  ancestral  worship,  in  1791,  led  first  to  opposi- 
tion, and,  on  the  death  of  the  king,  Chong  Chong,  in  1800,  and 
the  accession  of  the  queen,  a general  royal  edict  against  Chris- 
tianity was  issued,  “ which  was  to  be  writ  with  letters  of  blood 
in  the  annals  of  Korea,"  says  Father  Wallays'  chronicle.  A 
second  edict  followed  in  about  a year,  and  the  persecutions  were 
severe  but  there  seems  to  have  been  heroic  stuff  in  many  of 
these  Christians,  and  they  continued  to  work  and  spread  in  spite 
of  the  depletion  made  by  oppression  and  apostasy,  and  to  appeal 
for  a foreign  pastor  until,  at  last,  Pierre  Philibert  Maubant  ar- 
rived in  1835.  In  1838  there  were  said  to  be  9,000  Christians.  In 
July  of  the  next  year  a fresh  edict  appeared,  and  the  three  Euro- 
pean priests  then  in  the  country  were  executed.  In  1845  Bishop 
Ferreol  reached  Seoul,  and  shortly  after  there  were  more 
martyrs,  but  I i,0oo  Christians  were  reported  in  1850,  with  five 
young  men  studying  for  the  priesthood.  Five  more  priests 
came  in  1857,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  population  was  reckoned 
at  16,500.  Long  ere  this,  however,  other  than  spiritual  motives 
had  stolen  in.  The  persecution  of  1801  was  fed. in  part  by  the 
queen’s  fear  of  the  nobles  of  the  opposing  party  in  the  state,  who 
had  joined  the  Catholics,  and  later  the  Christians  deliberately 
made  appeals  to  foreign  governments  that  were  treasonable. 
The  political  character  of  the  Church  was  made  more  pro- 
nounced by  the  great  prestige  Christianity  gained  through  the 
French-English  war  against  China  in  i860.  It  was  feared  that 
the  armies  would  come  to  Korea,  and  “in  many  instances  people 
of  rank  humbly  sought  the  good  favor  and  protection  of  the 
Christians.  Medals,  crosses,  and  books  of  religion  were  bought 
in  quantities.  Some  even  publicly  wore  them  on  their  dress, 
hoping  for  safety  when  the  dreaded  invasion  should  come." 
Four  more  missionaries  came  in  1861,  and  there  were  18,000 
Christians.  In  1864,  four  more  came;  there  were  1,976  bap- 
tisms ; a press  was  established  and  a new  seminary  opened  in  the 
mountains  ; and  then,  in  1866,  scores  and  hundreds  were  killed, 
and  every  priest  was  swept  out  of  the  land.  Of  four  bishops 
and  nineteen  priests,  fourteen  were  martyrs  and  four  others  died. 
The  Tai  Won  Kun,  the  father  of  the  present  King,  who  is  still 
living,  and  is  an  element  of  constant  disturbance  in  Korea,  con- 
ducted these  last  and  most  furious  persecutions,  the  echoes  of 


5 


which  did  not  die  away  until  the  doors  of  the  Hermit  Nation  at 
last  opened  to  foreigners  in  1882.  The  Roman  Catholics  reported 
last  year  28,802  members,  twenty-six  European  priests,  three 
native  priests,  and  thirteen  other  native  preachers. 

2.  Devdoptneni  of  Protestant  Work. — Beginning  silently,  to 
avoid  opposition,  Dr.  Allen  securing  his  safety  by  acting  as 
physician  to  the  American  legation,  our  work  has  grown 
steadily  and  powerfully.  After  eight  years  a second  station 
was  established,  in  1892,  at  Gensan,  on  the  sea-coast,  in  the 
northeast.  In  1893,  the  station  at  Fusan,  on  the  extreme  south- 
ern coast,  was  opened,  and  in  September,  1894,  the  property  at 
Pyeng  Yang,  on  which  our  mission  buildings  at  thatstation  stand, 
was  acquired.  Meanwhile,  other  Missions  had  entered  the  coun- 
try : the  Northern  Methodists  in  1885  ; the  Canadian  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Mission  in  1889  ; the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 
in  1890  ; the  Australian  Presbyterians  in  1891  ; the  Southern 
Presbyterians  in  1892  ; the  Ella  Thing  Memorial,  a Baptist 
Mission,  in  1895;  and  the  Southern  Methodists  in  1896.  None 
of  these,  except  the  Northern  Methodist  and  the  Southern  Pres- 
byterian, has  more  than  two  men  connected  with  it. 

For  some  years  our  work  grew  slowly.  But  it  was  a new 
field,  and,  compared  with  the  growth  in  China,  where  Morrison 
waited  seven  years  for  the  first  convert,  the  progress  was  ex- 
traordinary even  before  the  China-Japan  war.  Since  then,  the 
work  has  advanced  by  leaps  and  bounds.  In  1894,  there  were 
141  communicants,  fourteen  only  having  been  added  during  the 
preceding  year.  Then  came  the  furrowing,  renovating  influ- 
ence of  the  war,  and  now,  after  the  most  prosperous  year  yet 
known,  there  are  932  communicants,  2,344  catechumens,  loi 
meeting-places,  and  38  church  buildings,  the  great  majority  of 
which  are  provided  by  the  people  with  no  aid  from  the  Mis- 
sion. It  would  give  an  incorrect  idea  to  say  that  there  are  53 
native  teachers,  for  almost  all  the  Christians  have  been  trained 
to  regard  each  disciple  of  Christ  as  of  necessity  a worker  for 
Christ  and  for  men.  The  reports  of  the  missionaries  presented 
at  the  annual  meeting  set  forth  in  fullness  of  detail  the  wonder- 
ful work  that  is  under  way.  These  reports,  submitted  herewith, 
need  not  be  summarized  here.  Of  Dr.  Underwood’s,  Dr.  Reid, 
of  the  Southern  Methodist  Mission,  said  that  in  twenty  years’ 
experience  in  China  he  had  never  heard  such  a thrilling  and 
exhilarating  report,  and  having  been  with  Dr.  Underwood  on 
one  long  tour  he  could  vouch  that  it  was  well  within  the  actual 
truth.  Christianity  has  evidently  laid  powerful  hold  upon  the 
country.  Instead  of  being  called  “ devil,”  as  missionaries  and 
all  foreigners  are  in  interior  China,  the  Koreans  use  to  the  mis- 
sionaries words  of  the  highest  respect,  and  their  bearing  in  the 
country  leaves  nothing  to  be  asked  in  the  way  of  kindness  and 
courtesy.  Christians  are  viewed  with  remarkable  confidence 
and  regard,  instead  of  with  distrust  and  hate.  Even  in  the 
south,  where  the  direct  results  have  been  scanty,  this  change 


6 


has  been  marked.  “ Six  years  ago,”  one  of  the  native  Christians 
at  Fusan  told  us,  “ I came  down  through  this  province  of 
Kiung  Sang  with  Dr.  Hardie.  We  could  not  get  meals  at  the 
inns,  and  when  we  preached  we  met  a perfect  storm  of  derision. 
Now,  we  can  get  into  the  inns  anywhere,  and  derision  has  almost 
wholly  disappeared.”  In  the  north  the  Church  has  spread  and 
penetrated,  as  we  saw  nothing  to  surpass  anywhere  else  in  the 
world.  We  visited  one  day  a large  and  well-furnished  temple 
to  the  Chinese  god  of  war,  in  the  city  of  Pyeng  Yang.  The  gates 
were  closed  and  locked,  and  the  pavements  were  overgrown 
with  grass.  At  last  a keeper  who  said  he  was  there  only  because 
it  was  a cheap  place  to  lodge,  let  us  in  and  showed  us  the  for- 
saken shrines  and  the  unworshiped  gods.  “ Why  is  this  ? ” we 
inquired.  “ Where  are  the  worshipers  ? ” “Oh,”  said  the  man, 

“ there  are  so  many  people  who  believe  in  this  Jesus  doctrine 
that  no  one  comes  here  any  more.”  On  the  highways  we  met 
men  discussing  Christianity.  The  sorcerers  and  devil-priestesses 
are  losing  trade  and  standing,  and  I might  multiply  evidence 
beyond  that  furnished  in  the  reports  of  the  missionaries  to  show 
that  the  Gospel  is  powerfully  influencing  the  sensibilities  of  the 
people.  I may  quote  only  a portion  of  a proclamation  recently 
issued  by  the  governor  of  the  province  of  Whang  Hai : “ Our 
school  was  handed  down  to  us  by  the  sages  of  old  days,  whose 
teachings  and  doctrines  are  forever  unchangeable.  But  of  late 
the  foreign  religion  came  into  the  country  ; the  foolish  novelty- 
seekers  have  fallen  into  the  foreign  teaching,  and  they  are  un- 
willing to  study  and  observe  our  own  religion.  Is  it  not  a 
danger  to  our  doctrine?  I have  heard  a European  say  that  if 
one  country  adopts  the  religion  of  another  the  country  will 
surely  be  destroyed.  I believe  it  to  be  true.  Even  foreigners 
entertain  such  a belief  and  gave  us  the  hint,  and  we,  the  disci- 
ples of  the  saintly  sages,  must  not  be  enticed  into  foreign  teach- 
ings which  destroy  our  venerable  customs  and  institutions.  I 
desire  our  Confucian  followers  to  be  more  diligent  in  studying 
the  classics,  making  it  their  true  religion,  and  regard  the  new 
teachings  as  superficial  doctrines.  Thus  they  will  all  become 
useful  vessels  of  the  state  and  accumulate  great  fortunes  for 
the  people.”  That  a provincial  governor  should  be  so  solicitous 
is  a good  indication  of  the  way  Christianity  is  spreading.  The 
churches  are  crowded.  Wherever  the  missionaries  go  they  are 
welcomed  and  listened  to.  The  opportunities  are  unlimited.  It 
is  true  that  in  the  northeast  and  southeast  provinces.  Ham  Kwung 
and  Kiung  Sang,  the  baptisms  have  been  few,  but  the  doors  are 
as  open  as  in  the  west  and  north.  A whole  nation  is  as  ripe  for 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  as  any  nation  could  be. 

(i)  The  Motives  of  the  Christians, — Less  than  half  a genera- 
tion ago  Korea  was  sealed  against  all  missionary  work  and  for- 
eign intercourse.  And  now  the  Christians  are  numbered  by  the 
thousand;  thousands  now  are  ready  to  hear.  The  whole  land  is 
open.  What  are  the  reasons  for  this  remarkable  change  and  for 


7 


such  an  unusual  movement  ? Through  what  proximate  and 
secondary  causes  has  the  great  cause  of  the  Divine  will  been 
working?  A just  answer  would  be  threefold:  (a)  Japan’s  vic- 
tory over  China  made  a profound  impression  upon  Korea.  For 
twenty  centuries  Korea  had  been  a vassal  state  of  the  latter. 
Its  government  was  modeled  after  that  of  the  Ming  dynasty  in 
China.  Its  literature  and  philosophy  were  Chinese  and  Confu- 
cian.  It  had  ever  viewed  with  awe  its  great  and  invincible  pa- 
tron empire.  That  little  Japan  should  conquer  this  mighty  an- 
tagonist with  arts  and  weapons  which  she  made  everyone  un- 
derstand were  borrowed  from  Western  civilization  gave  the 
Koreans  a deep  respect  for  the  West.  They  were  ready  to  be- 
lieve that  the  religion  of  the  West  must  be  superior.  Also  they 
learned  of  the  enormous  political  power  of  Western  nations,  and 
many  w'ere  anxious  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with  the  representa- 
tives of  these  nations,  as  the  people  had  been  glad  in  i86i  to 
wear  crucifixes  and  images  to  indicate  their  sympathy  with  the 
Catholics.  In  the  hope  of  assistance  in  lawsuits,  or  securing 
justice,  or  protection  from  oppression,  or  collecting  debts,  some 
turned  to  the  missionaries.  It  should  be  said  that  the  mission- 
aries have  from  the  beginning  resolutely  antagonized  all  such 
ideas  and  that  the  people  have  discovered  this,  and  also  that 
scores  who  have  been  attracted  in  the  first  instance  by  some  such 
motives  have  almost  at  once  been  lifted  out  of  this  low  sphere  and 
have  passed  on  into  the  Church  under  high  and  genuine  motives. 
But  the  war  and  its  political  influences  set  men  thinking  and  dis- 
posed them  favorably  to  Christianity.  Because  of  the  war  and  the 
advent  of  Western  ideas  the  squeezing  of  the  officials  stopped, 
taxes  were  levied  equitably,  justice  became  less  a stranger  in  the 
land.  “ I will  illustrate  it  by  a parable,”  said  one  native  to  us. 

Before  the  war  it  was  as  if  out  in  the  sea  a big  fish  was  eat- 
ing up  all  the  little  ones.  Now  the  big  fish  has  stopped.”  Be- 
sides all  this  the  war  demoralized  the  spirit  worshipers.  It  killed 
the  worship  of  the  Chinese  gods  ; the  people  had  seen  their  in- 
competence publicly  demonstrated.  And  it  cut  away  some  of 
the  few  remaining  props  of  Buddhism. 

(b)  In  the  second  place  the  people  felt  in  many  districts  that 
they  had  reached  the  bottom  of  misery.  Justice  as  administered 
in  their  jails  or  magisterial  yamens,  for  they  had  no  courts, 
was  a travesty.  Punishment  was  torture.  One  of  the  saddest 
and  most  heart-sickening  sights  I ever  saw  was  in  the  Pyeng 
Yang  prison,  where  a score  of  beaten,  festering  prisoners  sat  on 
the  ground  with  the  prison  gate  wide  open  before  them  and  only 
turned  vacant  eyes  at  it  and  at  us,  out  of  the  depths  of  their  weak- 
ness and  agony.  Poverty  was  added  to  oppression,  and  feeling 
that  nothing  could  bring  them  into  a worse  condition,  many  were 
ready  to  welcome  Christianity  as  something  which  might  have 
good  in  it.  Dissatisfaction  with  the  old  life,  its  failures,  miseries, 
disaffections,  was  wide-spread,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  Gos- 
pel. “I  explain  the  movement  toward  Christianityon  two  grounds,” 


8 


said  one  of  the  native  leaders  at  Pyeng  Yang.  “ First,  the  grace 
of  God.  Secondly,  the  people  here  have  never  desired  to  be 
yang  bans.  They  have  been  looked  down  on  as  low  people 
by  the  Seoul  official  class.  They  were  ill-used  by  the  officials 
sent  up  here.  They  had  nothing  to  trust  in,  and  when  the  Gos- 
pel came  they  accepted  that  as  a hope  and  support.  I do  not 
know  what  the  future  will  be.  Many  are  honest  and  will  endure. 
Many  who  do  not  fully  believe  will  leave.  These  are  the  men 
who  do  not  study.  There  are  men  who  have  believed  for  the 
benefit  they  could  get  from  it,  thinking  that  the  Jesus  Church 
had  power  of  which  they  could  make  use.  Others  think  that 
being  low  men  they  will  get  upon  a higher  social  plane  by  com- 
ing in.  Many  outsiders  think  it  is  a good  thing  and  all  right. 
Few  hate  it  now.  Before  the  war  men  reviled  me.  Now  they 
commend  my  preaching.  Why  ? They  have  seen  the  good  lives 
and  acts  of  the  Christians.  The  people  have  seen  drunkards  and 
whoremongers  reformed,  and  wonder  at  it.  When  a man  becomes 
a Christian,  the  people  see  that  all  the  other  Christians  treat  the 
new  convert  sociably  and  as  an  equal,  that  the  Christians  love 
one  another,  and  that  they  are  constantly  learning  things  and 
studying  and  growing  in  character  and  intelligence.”  These  last 
words  describing  the  Church  are  true,  and  such  a Church  nat- 
urally attracts  others.  They  want  to  belong  to  such  a society. 
They  have  never  known  what  it  was  to  trust  a fellow-man.  Mutual 
confidence  among  men  has  not  existed  in  Korea.  Its  presence 
among  the  Christians  has  been  a powerful  attraction.  More- 
over, the  barrenness  of  mind  and  spirit  of  the  people  made  the 
definite,  strong,  novel,  vital  message  of  Christianity  exceedingly 
effective.  None  of  the  other  forces  of  civilization,  its  industri- 
alism, its  commercialism,  its  rationalism,  its  secularism,  has 
touched  the  people  yet.  As  in  Japan,  Christianity  was  first  and 
with  a free  field.  As  in  the  early  days  in  Japan,  also,  the  mis- 
sionaries have  gained  a position  of  supreme  dignity  and  influ- 
ence. They  are  called  by  the  Christians  by  a title  of  affection 
and  honor,  “ moksa,”  the  word  for  shepherd,  and  also  for  men  of 
a certain  high  rank.  The  Christians  treat  the  missionaries  with 
a delightful  respect  mingled  with  genuine  love.  The  outside  peo- 
ple also  since  the  war  are  most  courteous,  even  stopping  bullock 
carts  in  a muddy  street  so  as  not  to  splash  them.  So  high  was 
their  standing,  and  so  great  the  confidence  in  them,  that  the  price 
of  rice  in  the  Pyeng  Yang  market  rose  and  fell  with  their  move- 
ments after  the  war.  Mr.  Noble  told  me  that  some  of  the  people 
even  said  that  the  title  “ moksa  ” was  given  to  them  because 
they  held  rank  from  the  king.  One  other  fact  that  has  con- 
tributed to  the  growth  of  the  Church  has  been  the  absence  of 
anything  like  association  or  organization  among  the  Koreans. 
Universal  distrust  made  it  impossible.  The  little  Christian 
churches  show  the  people  the  possibility  of  union,  and  such  love 
as  welded  the  early  Christians  together  has  an  irresistible  attrac- 
tion shown  forth  thus  in  Korea. 


9 


(c)  Back  of  both  these  sets  of  motives,  however,  there  is  real 
ground  for  believing  that  there  is  a genuine  spiritual  movement. 
The  ideas  of  sin  and  of  salvation  through  Christ  seem  to  be  the 
dominant  ideas  of  the  native  Christians.  Scores  of  them  at  once 
explained  their  spiritual  experiences  to  me  in  these  terms.  To 
the  question  Why  did  you  accept  Christianity  ? almost  the  in- 
variable answers  were,  “ Because  of  my  sins  ” ; “ Jesus  as  Son  of 
God  could  alone  deliver  me  from  sin  and  hell  ” ; “ Christ  is  the 
only  one  to  be  depended  upon  ” ; “ Our  minds  were  weak,  and 
when  we  read  the  commands  of  God  we  were  anxious,  for  we 
were  not  able  to  meet  them.  In  Jesus  we  feel  secure.”  Many 
of  these  men  are  reading  into  their  acceptance  of  Christianity 
much  that  they  learned  afterward.  The  sense  of  sin  might  be 
stronger,  but-  there  appears  to  be  more  of  it  than  is  common 
among  new  Christians,  and  much  of  it  reminds  one  of  the  re- 
vivals among  the  Nestorians  in  the  days  of  Fidelia  Fiske.  The 
simple  doctrines  of  the  old  Gospel  have  been  preached  by  the 
missionaries  without  ceasing  or  uncertainty.  They  have  striven 
to  make  one  definite  impression  that  they  were  charged  with  a 
message  of  salvation  from  God,  and  the  old  truths  of  grace  and 
need  have  been  kept  foremost.  The  old  religion  of  Korea  had 
nothing  with  which  to  satisfy  those  longings  of  the  human  spirit 
to  which  the  Gospel  is  addressed.  The  spiritual  glory  was  gone 
from  Buddhism,  which  was  of  slight  influence,  and  whose  eso- 
teric cults  only  mocked  all  honest  hearts.  The  popular  worship 
was  of  the  spirits,  a form  of  sorcery,  and  it  only  fed  the  fear  it 
was  designed  to  allay,  and  provided  for  no  forgiveness  or  fel- 
lowship. The  tonic,  vertebrate  message  of  Christianity  stirs 
some  true  spiritual  response  among  such  people. 

(2)  Are  this  response  and  the  work  that  has  grown  out  of  it 
genuine  ? Or  will  the  bottom  fall  out  ? Or  if  not  that,  will  the 
novelty  wear  off  and  the  work  drop  down  to  the  sober,  patient 
pace  of  most  other  fields  ? Whether  it  will  or  not,  I firmly  be- 
lieve in  the  genuineness  of  this  present  work.  Instances  of  in- 
dividual conversion  which  are  as  thorough  and  satisfactory  as 
any  that  are  seen  here,  warm  church  life  full  of  brotherly  trust 
and  co  operation,  ex-Confucianists  weeping  over  their  sins  and 
crying  in  their  prayers,  giving  without  urging  and  in  full  meas- 
ure, and  preferring  this  to  any  mission  aid,  such  activity  in  per- 
sonal work,  and  such  desire  for  souls  as  are  not  common  at 
home,  men  and  women  saved  from  adultery,  drunkenness,  and 
gross  sin,  and  made  clean  and  pure,  a fervent  love  of  the  Bible, 
and  a keen  desire  for  more  teaching, — Mr.  Grant  and  I saw 
enough  of  all  this  to  satisfy  us,  even  making  allowance  for  all 
merely  superficial  and  imitative  experience,  that  this  work  is  true. 
Such  fresh  originality  of  spiritual  ideas,  and  such  novelty  of 
greeting  and  conversation,  we  had  not  elsewhere  met.  It  was  a 
constant  blessing  to  us,  like  real  contact  with  the  fresh  life  of 
the  early  Christians  ; and  when  forty  or  fifty  of  the  Pyeng  Yang 
people  walked  five  miles  out  with  us  in  the  rain  as  we  started 


ib 

for  Seoul,  and  held  a little  farewell  meeting  with  us  at  a thatch- 
covered  wayside  church,  and  then  called  out  love  and  prayers 
after  us  until  a turn  in  the  road  hid  them  from  sight,  we  were 
taken  back  to  scenes  in  the  Book  of  Acts  not  more  real  or 
more  full  of  sincerity  and  truth.  I believe  these  Koreans  are  as 
good  Christians  as  the  Corinthians,  or  Galatians,  or  Ephesians 
were. 

III.  riethods  and  Policy  of  the  Mission. 

The  methods  which  have  been  pursued  by  the  missionaries 
in  their  work  seem  to  me  eminently  wise.  I believe  they  have 
in  large  measure  found,  as  they  have  from  the  outset  earnestly 
sought,  the  right  principle  upon  which  to  establish  their  work. 
How  large  a part  Dr.  Nevius  had  in  shaping  these  meth- 
ods it  is  impossible  to  say  ; but  it  was  not  insignificant.  In 
Mrs.  Nevius’s  life  of  her  husband  is  an  account  of  their  visit  to 
Korea  in  1890:  “Writing  from  Japan  a few  weeks  later,  he 

said  ; ‘ We  had  a delightful  visit  in  Korea  ; and  if  the  mission- 

aries there  were  not  benefited  by  our  sojourn  with  them,  it  was 
not  because  they  were  not  more  than  willing  to  profit  by  our 
suggestions  and  advice.’  Indeed,  it  was  touching  to  see  how  the 
young  missionaries  clustered  around  him  as  round  a father,  with 
affection  and  deference,  asking  his  advice  on  many  questions. 
Evening  after  evening  was  spent  in  this  way,  he  making  a care- 
ful study  of  the  present  conditions  and  wants  of  that  newly- 
opened  country, and  the  missionaries  ready  tocarryinto  immediate 
execution  suggestions  and  advice  which  commanded  their  ap- 
proval.’’ Dr.  Nevius’s  “Methods  of  Mission  Work ’’  constitutes 
part  of  the  required  course  of  study  prescribed  for  new  mission- 
aries, and  those  methods  are  ingrained  into  the  policy  of  the 
Mission.  From  other  sources  also  the  Korean  missionaries  have 
sought  light,  desiring  to  avoid  making  mistakes  that  had  been 
made  elsewhere.  The  labor  to  which  they  were  put  in  this 
effort  and  their  uncertainty  might  have  been  in  large  measure 
saved  if  there  had  been  available  for  them,  as  I believe  there 
should  now  be,  a manual  of  missionary  policy.  Has  not  the 
time  come  for  such  a manual  ? After  two  generations  of  sepa- 
rate experience,  preceded  by  one  generation  under  the  American 
Board,  are  we  not  prepared  to  formulate  these  principles  of 
administration  and  policy  in  which  we  believe?  The  Missions 
would  welcome  such  a manual.  The  work  needs  it. 

1.  The  Native  Church. — To  establish  this,  full  of  life  and  activ- 
ity, is  the  aim  of  the  Mission.  Under  this  title  most  of  the 
features  of  the  Mission’s  policy  may  be  discussed. 

(i)  Organization. — Although  there  are  ten  or  more  churches, 
there  is  yet  no  Presbytery.  The  missionaries  have  been  well 
aware  of  the  dangers  of  prematurely  organizing  such  a body, 
and  have  preferred  to  wait  until  they  had  the  materials  for  it, 
and  it  could  come  as  the  needed  development  of  a Church  whose 
life  required  it.  Meanwhile,  a device  is  in  operation  which  has 


It 


worked  well  thus  far.  In  1889  steps  Were  taken  to  organize  all 
the  Presbyterian  missionaries  in  Korea  into  one  council  having 
many  of  the  functions  of  the  Missions,  leaving  practically  only 
the  control  of  finances  to  each  separate  Presbyterian  Mission. 
This  plan  never  went  further  than  an  initial  stage.  But  in  1893 
a Council  was  finally  organized  by  the  following  action,  recorded 
in  the  Council  minutes  October  24,  1893  : ‘‘We  hereby  consti- 

tute ourselves  the  Couficil  of  the  Missions  in  Korea  holding  the 
Presbyterian  form  of  government,  to  have  advisory  powers  and 
such  powers  as  may  be  delegated  to  it  by  the  Missions  repre- 
sented ; said  Council  shall  consist  of  all  such  members  of  the 
Missions  represented.”  Of  this  Council  our  own,  the  Southern 
Presbyterian,  the  Australian  Presbyterian,  and  any  Canadian 
Presbyterian  missionaries  are  members.  It  really  takes  cogni- 
zance only  of  the  ecclesiastical  questions,  and  is  the  seat  of 
ecclesiastical  authority,  all  other  questions  remaining  in  the 
hands  of  the  Missions.  How  this  ecclesiastical  authority  is 
exercised  is  explained  by  Article  XVI.  of  the  By-Laws  of  the 
Korea  Mission:  “Until  its  organization  in  accordance  with 
Presbyterian  usage,  the  native  Church  shall  be  administered  by 
the  Council  of  the  Missions  in  Korea  holding  the  Presbyterian 
form  of  government,  through  a session  of  five  members,  to  be 
elected  annually.  All  candidates  shall  be  examined  by  the 
session,  or  by  some  one  empowered  by  it  ; and  no  baptism  shall 
be  administered  except  by  its  sanction.  When  deemed  expe- 
dient, a similar  session  may  be  created  by  the  Council  in  any 
other  place.  It  shall  be  understood  by  the  Mission  that  to  this 
session  are  delegated  the  powers  of  a church  session  only. 
Additional  powers  may  be,  from  time  to  time,  specifically  dele- 
gated to  it  by  the  Council  on  recommendation  of  a Mission.” 
This  Council  has  discussed  such  subjects  as  education,  but  it  has 
legislated  only  on  such  matters  as  church  discipline,  terms  of 
entrance,  polygamous  applicants  for  baptism,  proposed  ordina- 
tion of  elders,  etc. 

In  the  practice  of  the  Missions  thus  far  the  following  princi- 
ples have  prevailed  : (<?)  That  ecclesiastical  and  administrative 
responsibility  should  not  be  laid  upon  the  people  until  men 
truly  qualified  to  discharge  such  responsibility  have  been  raised 
up,  and  the  spiritual  state  of  the  Christians  warrants  and  invites 
it;  (^)  that  all  Christians,  from  the  outset,  should  be  charged 
with  those  practical  responsibilities  which  are  necessary  to  their 
growth  in  grace  and  character  and  the  just  discharge  of  their 
duties  as  disciplers,  as  well  as  disciples,  that  they  should  be  per- 
sonal workers,  be  trained  in  worship  and  activity,  and  develop  all 
their  own  gifts  ; {c)  that  the  authority  of  the  missionary  should 
be  a spiritual  authority.and  that  he  should  retain  the  formal  eccle- 
siastical responsibilities  until  there  is  a native  Church  and  there 
are  native  elders  or  ministers  to  whom  they  can  be  transferred  ; 
{d)  that  it  is  best  to  move  slowly  in  the  full  ordination  of  elders 
and  organization  of  churches.  There  are  as  yet  no  ordained 


12 


ministers.  Some  elders  were  ordained  in  the  early  stage  of  the 
work,  before  the  Mission  had  learned  to  be  cautious,  but  the 
result  was  unsatisfactory,  and  there  are,  I believe,  none  now  ; {e) 
that  meanwhile  the  groups  of  Christians  be  developed  in  the  sim- 
plest and  most  effective  way,  all  being  expected  to  work  and  to 
advance,  and  those  men  being  selected  and  appointed  as  leaders 
who  are  likely  to  grow  into  suitable  candidates  for  the  elder- 
ship. 

The  following  quotations  from  the  By-Laws  and  Rules  of 
the  Mission  will  illustrate  this  principle  : Section  A,  Article  V — 
“ Each  sub-station  shall  have,  if  possible,  a leader  or  leaders, 
either  selected  by  the  people  or  appointed  by  the  missionary  in 
charge,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  take  charge  of  the  Sabbath 
service  in  the  absence  of  the  helper  or  other  person  appointed 
for  that  purpose.  Except  in  special  cases,  leaders  shall  receive 
no  salaries  from  the  Mission  funds.”  Article  IX — “ It  shall  be 
the  aim  of  the  Mission,  when  practicable,  to  provide  a full 
church  organization  at  each  sub-station,  and  even  before  this 
shall  have  been  accomplished,  to  supply  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  by  a competent  person  at  stated  intervals.”  Article  X — 
“ On  Sundays  when  there  is  no  regular  preaching  at  a sub- 
station, the  local  leader  or  elder  shall  conduct,  or  invite  some 
competent  person  to  conduct,  an  orderly  service  of  worship, 
consisting' of  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  prayer,  giving 
an  opportunity  for  short  exhortations,  and  especially  giving 
careful  attention  to  teaching  the  people  the  Scripture  lessons 
previously  assigned  by  the  missionaries  in  charge.”  Section  B, 
Article  IV — “ Elders  and  deacons  are  officers  of  the  church,  as 
laid  down  in  the  Scriptures  and  defined  in  the  Presbyterian 
Form  of  Government.  They  shall  be  ordained  only  after  nom- 
ination by  the  session  of  the  Council,  election  by  the  church,  and 
subsequent  instruction  as  to  the  duties  of  the  office  for  at  least 
six  months.” 

This  caution  in  ordaining  men  and  in  establishing  a native 
ecclesiastical  body,  like  a Presbytery,  lessens  and  postpones 
certain  dangers,  but  it  does  not  wholly  avert  them.  The  times 
of  delicacy  will  arise  when  natives  are  ordained  and  ecclesiasti- 
cal authority  passes  into  their  hands.  The  education  through 
which  the  native  Church  will  have  passed  will  fit  it  for  that  day, 
it  may  be  hoped;  and  meanwhile  I believe  in  the  policy  of  doing 
what  I have  advocated  in  preceding  reports,  namely,  committing 
to  Mission  and  native  Church  organization  the  functions  which 
properly  belong  to  each,  and  not  confusing  these  by  charging 
the  Mission  with  the  functions  of  the  native  Church,  or  laying 
on  the  latter  the  functions  of  the  former. 

The  Mission  has  recognized  the  necessity  of  encouraging 
aspiration  and  growth  by  not  hurrying  the  native  Christians 
through  to  the  final  stages  of  church  organization  at  the  outset. 
With  people  who  have  had  the  training  through  which  native 
converts  have  passed,  it  is  hard  to  keep  the  spiritual  ideas 


uppermost.  The  physical  act  of  baptism  is  invested  with  mys- 
terious power  by  them.  The  Lord’s  Supper  becomes  of  itself 
a pledge  of  salvation.  The  proper  church  organization,  once 
established,  is  the  attainment  of  the  goal  to  many  of  them. 
Authentic  admission  to  this  and  participation  in  the  holy  rites 
which  mark  entrance  to  it  are  all  that  are  needed,  and  growth 
and  progress  stop.  Instead  of  setting  all  of  these  up  at  once, 
before  they  are  appreciated,  and  in  such  a way  as  to  leave  no 
room  for  encouraging  inner  progress  by  enlarged  bestowal  of 
outer  symbols  and  institutions,  the  Mission  has  wisely  pursued 
the  policy  of  beginning  most  simply  and  informally,  with  all  the 
emphasis  on  real  life  and  intelligence,  meeting  these  as  they 
grow  with  appropriate  advance  toward  full  organization. 

(2)  Requirements  for  Membership. — So  strongly  is  the  truth 
of  these  last  observations  felt  by  some  that  they  distinguish 
between  the  baptism  of  the  convert  and  his  admission  to  the 
Lord’s  Supper,  administering  the  former  on  simple  profession  of 
faith,  but  exacting  more  rigorous  requirements  in  connection 
with  the  latter,  and  holding  out  the  significance  of  the  latter  and 
the  partial  character  of  the  former  to  encourage  the  convert  to 
go  on  in  his  Christian  life  and  not  to  stop  with  conscience  satis- 
fied by  the  receiving  of  baptism  alone.  There  are  many  objec- 
tions to  this  course,  the  chief  one  being  that  we  have  no  script- 
ural or  reasonable  right  to  deny  one  of  these  ordinances  to  a man 
to  whom  we  allow  the  other.  If  he  is  truly  enough  Christ’s  dis- 
ciple to  be  baptized  into  His  body,  he  is  entitled  also  to  partake 
of  that  body  provided  for  him.  The  end  held  in  view  in  the  pro- 
posed discrimination  is  a good  one,  but  it  can  be  secured  without 
cheapening  baptism  or  drawing  an  imaginar}?"  line  between  it  as 
an  individual  ordinance,  the  right  of  the  convert  upon  profession 
offaith,  and  the  Lord’s  Supper,  as  a social  ordinance,  to  which 
the  convert  can  only  be  received  by  a vote  of  a body  of  believers 
who  are  prepared  to  take  him  into  their  fellowship. 

Our  Mission  provides  for  the  double  stage  which  almost  all 
feel  to  be  necessary,  by  the  provision  for  a catechumenate  prepar- 
atory to  baptism  and  full  communion.  Theoretically  those  are 
to  be  admitted  as  catechumens  who  know  and  repent  of  their 
sins,  who  believe  in  Christ  as  their  Saviour,  and  who  before  the 
congregation  will  rise  and  answer  certain  questions  regarding 
their  lives.  After  six  months’  probation  as  catechumens,  accom- 
panied by  instruction,  the  candidates  are  re-examined  by  the  mis- 
sionary or  missionaries  and  native  leaders,  and  either  admitted, 
continued,  or  dropped.  In  the  present  stage  of  the  work  there  can 
be  no  baptisms  without  direct  missionary  action.  There  are  no 
natives  who  have  authority,  and  the  Mission  rules  guard  the 
administration  of  baptism  even  by  the  missionaries,  who,  while 
charged  with  the  duty  of  administering  discipline,  examining  and 
passing  candidates, are  also  enjoined  “to  report  the  same  to  church 
or  missionary  court  having  jurisdiction  over  the  territory  in 
which  the  sub-station  is,  and  who  shall  take  the  necessary  steps 


14 


toward  the  admission  of  the  candidates,  if  in  their  judgment  it 
is  wise  and  timely.” 

The  examinations  at  the  admission  of  candidates  to  the 
catechumenate  vary  in  care  and  thoroughness.  Often  these  are 
hasty,  and  of  groups  rather  than  individuals,  especially  where 
the  work  has  grown  as  rapidly  as  it  has  in  the  north.  But  an 
examination  at  which  I was  present  in  Pyeng  Yang,  and  which 
Mr.  Lee  and  some  of  the  native  leaders  conducted,  showed 
how  thorough  is  the  work  which  the  missionaries  are  trying  to 
do.  The  examinations  of  catechumens  who  desire  baptism  are,  of 
course,  yet  more  searching.  This  one  from  Pyeng  Yang  will 
serve  as  an  illustration.  Many  of  the  questions  were  put  to  the 
catechumen,  whose  name  was  Yen,  by  the  native  leaders  them- 
selves : “ VVhy  have  you  a mind  to  be  baptized  ?”  The  candi- 

date, who  was  evidently  under  some  feeling,  replied,  “ Formerly 
I did  not  know  Christ;  now  I believe  in  Him.”  “Why?” 
“On  account  of  my  many  sins.  I have  sinned  much.”  “What 
kind  of  sins?”  “I  know  scarcely  any  sins  that  I have  not  com- 
mitted.” “What  ones?”  asked  Ye,  a.  native  leader  of  great 
capacity  and  penetration.  “ I have  worshiped  spirits.  I did 
not  know  that  I was  sinning  before  I heard  of  Jesus.  I heard 
His  words  that  the  people  of  the  world  are  sinners,  and  that  He 
had  come  to  stand  in  sinners’  stead.  I learned  this  from  a man 
named  Chu.”  “ Who  is  Jesus  ? ” “ The  Son  of  God.  The  Bible 

taught  me  this,  and  that  He  had  come  and  died  and  lived  again.” 
“ Has  Christ  borne  your  old  sins?”  “Yes,  He  has.”  “If  you 
died  before  baptism  would  you  go  to  heaven?”  “Yes.”  “Is 
baptism  not  useless,  then  ? ” “It  is  a sign  of  union  with  Christ, 
showing  that  lam  a part  of  the  body  of  Christ.”  “ Do  you 
observe  the  Sabbath?”  “I  have  done  so  since  I became  a cat- 
echumen.” “Why?”  “Because  it  is  a holy  day.”  “What  is 
your  business  ? ” “ I am  a go-between  or  middle-man.”  “Fair- 

days  come  on  each  fifth  day.  When  they  fall  on  Sunday  do  you 
still  observe  the  day  ? ” “ Yes,  I have  done  so  for  seven  months.” 

“ Do  you  love  Jesus  ? ” “ Yes  ; He  saved  me  and  will  give  me  new 
life.”  “ Do  you  love  your  wife  and  children  ?”“  Yes.  We  used  to 
fight.  I got  drunk  in  those  days.  Now  I love  her  and  I love 
Jesus  more  than  all.”  “ Do  you  understand  the  Lord’s  Sup- 
per?” “I  think  so.  It  is  kept  so  as  not  to  forget  Jesus.  The 
eating  and  drinking  are  marks  of  our  being  joined  to  Christ.” 
“ Do  you  still  sin  ? ” “ I cannot  help  doing  wrong  daily,  but  I 

pray  to  God  when  I do.”  “ Does  God  hear  you  for  the  good- 
ness of  your  praying?  Have  you  any  merit?”  “No.  He 
does  it  for  Christ’s  sake.  As  for  merit,  I have  not  the  slightest 
little  bit.”  “How  do  you  know  you  are  forgiven?”  “The 
Bible  says  that  if  we  confess,  we  are  forgiven.  I believe  it.”  “Why 
do  you  believe  the  Bible  ? ” “ It  is  the  Word  of  God.”  “ How 

do  you  know?”  “The  story  of  the  shepherds  and  the  coming 
of  the  wise  men  makes  me  think  that  it  is  true.”  “Have  you 
ever  had  a concubine  ? ” No.”  “ Do  you  drink  ? ” “I  was  a 


*5 


hard  drinker,  but  not  now.  This  body  is  not  mine.  If  I abuse 
it,  I shall  receive  eternal  punishment.”  “ Do  you  speak  the 
truth  ?”  “I  have  lied  even  while  I was  a catechumen,  about  the 
price  of  goods  so  as  to  make  a ‘squeeze,’  but  I have  quit.  It  is 
hard  in  my  business,  but  I can  not  lie  and  be  Christ’s  disciple.” 
“ Tell  of  your  experience  as  a catechumen.”  “ Well,  other  mid- 
dlemen will  not  have  anything  to  do  with  me,  now  that  I have 
become  a Christian.  I am  able  to  read  the  Bible  in  both  Chinese 
and  Korean,  and  since  becoming  a catechumen  I have  been  going 
to  the  church  every  night,  where  a number  of  us  meet  and  read. 
I have  preached  to  my  wife  and  children,  but  only  my  wife  and 
one  son  have  come  yet  to  believe  and  to  do.”  “What  is  your 
idea  of  God?”  “I  know  that  He  is  the  very  high  spirit.” 
“ Where  is  He  ? ” “ There  is  not  one  place  where  He  is  not.” 

“Has  God  power?”  “Yes.  He  has  power  to  deliver  us  from 
wicked  devils.”  “ Do  these  tempt  you  much  ? ” “ Yes  ; if  I don’t 
keep  reading  the  Bible  I am  constantly  tempted  to  gamble,  to 
commit  adultery,  etc.”  “ Have  you  given  up  sacrifice  ? ” asked 
Ye.  “ Yes.”  “ What  do  you  do  on  the  day  of  ancestral  worship  ? ” 
“ I go  to  the  church  on  that  day.”  “ Can  Christ  keep  you  from 
sin?”  “ Yes,  if  I trust  Him  with  all  my  strength.”  “But  will 
He  continue  to  do  what  He  has  done  ? ” “ Can  I think  other- 

wise of  Him?”  was  the  rejoinder.  “You  can’t  see  the  Lord,” 
said  Kim;  “how  do  you  know  all  this?”  “I  believe,  there- 
fore I know.”  “I  fear,”  said  Mr.  Lee,  “that  in  about  six 
months  you  will  quit  this  business.”  The  man  looked  up 
sharply.  “Not  so,”  he  said.  “Do  you  know,”  the  questioner 
resumed,  “that  Jesus  loves  you?”  “If  He  had  not  loved  me. 
He  would  not  have  died  for  me.  From  the  time  He  died  until 
now  I know  that  His  love  was  bestowed  on  me.”  “ But  how  do 
you  know,”  I asked,  “ that  Jesus  died  for  Koreans  ? was  is  not  for 
Europeans  only?”  “ No,”  he  said,  keenly  ; “He  died  for  the 
whole  world,”  as  though  I had  suggested  depriving  him  of  his 
own.  “ We  have  asked  a great  many  questions  now,”  said  Ye, 
as  though  satisfied.  I told  the  man,  then,  that  we  were  glad  to 
welcome  him  into  the  great  society  of  our  Saviour,  made  up  of 
millions  from  every  land,  and  that  though  we  should  never 
see  him  again  here  we  should  meet  him  above  at  the  reunion 
eternal.  “That  is  a thankful  word,”  he  replied  as  with  glow- 
ing face  he  passed  out,  and  Chung,  one  of  the  leaders,  added. 
“ I never  thought  before  of  that  not  meeting  and  then  meeting 
above.  That  was  a good  word.  I am  glad.”  Then  the  meet- 
ingclosed  with  Ye’s  calling  the  attention  of  the  others  to  a pas- 
sage he  had  found  in  the  thirty-first  chapter  of  Exodus  that  was 
stronger  on  the  Sabbath,  he  thought,  than  anything  in  the  New 
Testament.  And  I went  out  thinking  of  the  session  meeting  in 
Drumtochty  and  its  parallel  in  Pyeng  Yang.  The  whole  story 
will  show  the  spirit  of  the  men  and  the  movement  as  well  as 
illustrate  the  point  on  which  I have  cited  it. 

I have  discussed  in  the  report  on  China  the  question  of  the 


i6 


standard  of  conduct  to  be  expected  of  native  Christians.  It  will 
be  necessary  here  only  to  quote  the  “ Rules  for  the  Native  Church 
in  Korea,”  which  are  read  aloud  when  catechumens  are  baptized 
and  are  assented  to  by  them  at  that  time  publicly  : 

“These  rules  are  not  for  those  outside  of  the  Church,  but 
since  they  have  been  made  for  those  inside  the  Church,  anyone 
whosoever  that  believes,  and  having  come  into  the  holy  Church 
is  receiving  baptism,  must  of  necessity  obey  them.  The  only 
way  for  outsiders  to  enter  the  Church  is  to  repent  of  and  forsake 
their  sins,  and  trust  in  the  Lord. 

“I.  First,  since  the  Most  High  God  hates  the  glorifying 
and  worshiping  of  spirits,  follow  not  the  custom,  even  the 
honoring  of  ancestral  spirits,  but  worship  and  obey  God  alone. 

“II.  The  Lord’s  Day  being  a day  of  rest  and  a God-ap- 
pointed holy  day,  let  neither  man  nor  beast  do  any  work  therein, 
even  to  the  pursuance  of  one’s  livelihood  ; unless  it  be  abso- 
lutely necessary  work,  let  nothing  be  done.  Labor  diligently 
six  days,  and  as  for  this  day,  observe  it  strictly. 

“ III.  Since  the  filial  reverencing  of  parents  is  something 
which  God  has  commanded,  during  the  life  of  your  parents 
piously  reverence  them,  and  using  all  strength  be  faithful  to 
them  as  by  the  command  of  the  Lord. 

“IV.  Since  God  has  appointed  one  woman  for  one  man,  let 
there  be  not  only  no  abandoning  of  each  other,  but  let  there  be  a 
wife  and  no  concubines,  a husband  and  no  lewdness. 

“V.  Since  the  doing  of  the  holy  doctrine  is  the  first  thing 
to  be  done,  let  every  person  persuade  those  of  his  own  house, 
praising  and  praying,  and  with  one  mind  trusting  and  obeying 
the  Lord. 

“VI.  Since  God  has  ordered  that  we  shall  live  by  working, 
let  no  one  eat  and  be  clothed  in  idleness.  Be  not  lazy  ; tell  no 
lies  ; be  not  covetous  ; steal  not ; but  by  all  means  follow  an 
upright  livelihood,  and  using  strength,  feed  yourselves  and  your 
families. 

“VII.  The  Holy  Scriptures  not  only  forbid  drunkenness 
and  gambling,  but  since  from  these  things  spring  quarreling 
and  fighting  and  killing  and  wounding,  do  not  dare  to  commit 
them.  Also  do  not  make,  eat,  or  sell  either  wines  or  opium,  and 
keep  not  a gambling  house,  and  thus  debauch  the  conduct  of 
men.” 

For  a long  time  the  Mission  was  undecided  as  to  the  right 
ground  to  take  with  reference  to  the  baptism  of  polygamous 
candidates.  The  minutes  of  the  Council  show  how  thoroughly 
and  conscientiously  the  question  was  studied  over  ; while  two 
papers,  one  by  Mr.  Baird  and  one  by  Mr.  Gifford,  are  among 
the  most  useful  contributions  to  the  literature  on  this  subject. 
The  missionaries  have  settled  down  now  on  a policy  unalterably 
opposed  to  the  baptism  of  polygamists.  I believe  that  this  is 
the  right  policy.  It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  it  here,  but,  in 
case  the  question  should  ever  become  a question  for  the  Board’s 


17 


decision,  I should  wish  to  present  views  and  evidence  in  support 
of  the  position  of  the  Korea  Mission. 

In  the  Pyeng  Yang  field  of  the  Northern  Methodist  Mission, 
and,  I presume,  elsewhere  in  this  Mission,  there  are  four  classes 
of  native  adherents  : the  first  made  up  of  full  church  members,, 
the  second  consisting  of  baptized  probationers,  who  have  all  the 
privileges  of  church  membership  save  that  they  cannot  vote 
in  church  meeting  and  can  be  dropped  without  church  trial  ; 
third,  probationers  ; fourth,  inquirers. 

It  is  fortunate  that  a high  ideal  is  held  up  in  the  young 
Korean  churches,  and  that  a warm,  zealous  life  saves  the 
churches  from  being  chilled  by  such  requirements,  and  preserves 
them  from  Pharisaism  by  making  them  evangelistic.  The 
difficulty  of  maintaining  a high  standard  of  life,  while  at  the 
same  time  dealing  meekly  and  gently  with  those  who  err,  and 
whom  patient  treatment  may  bring  back,  is  evident.  It  is  too 
much  to  expect  that  all  the  laws  of  heredity  and  environment 
can  be  overleaped  in  a day.  And  the  effort  to  be  true  to  God 
and  His  law,  and  also  to  God’s  creatures  and  the  laws  of  their 
lives,  is  a task  of  supreme  difficulty.  Such  quotations  as  these 
from  the  minutes  of  the  Council  indicate  the  general  line  of 
action  of  the  Mission  : (i)  “Resolved  that  Mr.  Saw  be  informed 
that  the  rule  of  the  Church  is  that  no  man  can  be  a member 
who  holds  complicated  marriage  relations  with  more  than  one 
woman.  That,  in  consequence  of  this,  as  information  has  come 
to  us  that  he  is  involved  in  such  relations,  he  is  hereby  suspended 
from  membership  until  such  time  as  he  shall  rectify  these 
relations  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  session,  and  prove  himself 
the  husband  of  but  one  woman.”  “ (2)  Blank,  guilty  of  abuse  of 
foreign  influence,  in  attempting  to  enforce  payment  of  money 
by  confining  the  debtor  on  missionary  property  in  absence  of 
the  missionary.  He  was  required  to  confess  his  sin  before 
Chang  Dong  and  Yun  Mot  Kol  congregations,  and  submit  to 
public  rebuke  from  pastors  in  charge.”  “(3)  Yang  Si  Yong, 
baptized  May  i,  1892.  He  left  off  attending  service  when  the 
school  (in  Gensan)  was  closed,  has  been  very  inconsistent,  and 
seems  never  to  have  known  the  way  of  salvation.  The  charges 
against  him  are  drunkenness,  disgraceful  quarrel  unrepented  of, 
failure  to  attend  services  and  entire  disregard  of  the  Lord’s 

Day,  and  the  fact  that  Mr.  S and  the  entire  church  believe 

him  to  be  a hypocrite  and  a lip-professioned  Christian.  The 
committee,  therefore,  thinks  that  Mr.  Yong’s  name  should  be 
dropped  from  the  roll  and  he  be  forbidden  communion  until  he 
shows  evidence  of  repentance.” 

(3)  Care  of  the  native  Church.— The  policy  of  developing 
the  native  Church  slowly  on  its  ecclesiastical  side  has  been  ac- 
companied in  the  plans  of  the  Mission  by  great  emphasis  on  the 
spiritual  care  and  instruction  of  the  native  Christians  or  inqui- 
rers, as  the  following  quotations  from  the  Mission  rules  will  show  : 

“ A sub-station  consists  of  a number  of  Christians  who  meet 


i8 


together  on  the  Sabbath  in  a chapel  or  private  room  for  the 
worship  of  God. 

Sec.  A.  Art.  IV.  It  shall  be  the  policy  of  the  Mission  to 
unite  as  far  as  possible  sub-stations  which  are  in  close  proximity 
to  each  other. 

Art.  VI.  All  sub-stations  shall  be  brought  under  the  review 
of  the  Mission  each  year,  and  shall  be  assigned  to  the  several 
members  of  the  Mission,  only  providing  that  no  sub-station  shall 
be  taken  out  of  the  hands  of  the  founder  without  his  consent. 

Art.  VII.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  missionary  having 
charge  of  special  sub-stations  : 

(1)  To  visit  the  sub-stations  under  his  charge  as  often  as 
possible. 

(2)  To  assign  to  native  laborers  under  his  charge  their  cir- 
cuits, and  give  them  instruction  concerning  their  work. 

(3)  To  work  out  a course  of  Scripture  instruction  for  each 
sub-station,  in  accordance  with  the  general  plan  approved  by 
the  Mission. 

(4)  To  appoint  or  procure  the  election  of  a leader  or  leaders, 
and  to  instruct  them  in  their  duties. 

(5)  To  invite  the  leader  or  leaders,  and  one  or  two  others,  as 
in  their  judgment  they  may  see  fit,  to  attend  the  theological 
class  of  the  Mission  nearest  their  home  ; to  urge  their  attend- 
ance, and  to  report  to  the  missionary  or  committee  in  charge  of 
the  theological  class,  the  names  of  those  who  will  probably 
attend. 

) To  administer  discipline,  to  examine  and  pass  candi- 
dates for  admission  to  the  Church;  to  report  the  same  to  church 
or  missionary  court  having  jurisdiction  over  the  territory  in 
which  the  sub-station  is,  who  shall  take  the  necessary  steps 
toward  the  admission  of  the  candidates,  if  in  their  judgment  it 
is  wise  and  timely.* 

Art.  VIII.  Each  missionary  shall  make  an  annual  report  to 
the  Mission  concerning  each  of  the  sub-stations  under  his  charge, 
giving  the  number  of  applicants  for  baptism,  the  number  of  bap- 
tisms, the  number  suspended  or  excluded,  together  with  a full 
account  of  its  condition. 

Art.  XIV.  The  regular  establishment  of  new  sub-stations 
shall  be  encouraged  only  where  there  is  time  for  the  careful 
oversight  of  the  same,  except  where  special  indications  of  Prov- 
idence and  openings  for  work  call  for  their  establishment. 

Art.  XV.  It  shall  be  our  policy  to  establish  strong,  well- 
manned  sub-stations  in  important  central  positions,  rather  than 
a large  number  of  weak  ones.” 

Under  the  caption  “ Educational  Work,”  the  plans  of  the 
Mission  for  the  instruction  of  leaders  will  be  presented. 
Attention  is  called  now  merely  to  the  fact  that  adequate  super. 

*N0'IE.— As  in  other  missions  and  mission  stations,  this  power  rnay  be  delegated  to 
the  missionary  about  to  visit  any  sub-station  or  stations  Avhere  distance  or  other  cir- 
cumstances might  render  it  impossible  for  the  church  or  missionary  court,  as  such  . 
to  act  upon  individual  cases. 


19 


vision  by  the  missionary  is  insisted  upon.  This  means  itinera- 
tion, of  course.  The  great  need  of  the  Mission  now  is  for  more 
itineration  of  the  best  directed  kind,  and  accompanying  it,  for 
more  instruction  of  the  native  leaders  and  groups  of  Christians. 

(4.)  Self-support. — The  last  statistical  report  of  the  Mission 
for  the  eleven  months  ending  September  i,  1897,  gave  the  num- 
ber of  communicants  at  932,  and  the  total  native  contribution  at 
$971,12  silver;  but  this  did  not  include,  I think,  many  of  their 
gifts,  between  one  hundred  and  two  hundred  dollars  to  the  Indian 
Famine  Relief  Fund,  and  a great  deal  to  other  causes.  Nor  did 
it  include  a great  deal  that  the  people  have  furnished  themselves 
for  their  own  work.  It  did  include  $260.50  supplied  by  the 
people  toward  church  buildings,  which  are  very  cheap,  toward 
which  the  Board  gave  nothing.  Of  the  total  congregational 
expenses  of  $562.68,  the  people  are  reported  as  giving  $545.16. 
It  needs  to  be  remembered  also  that  the  great  majority  of  the 
working  force  are  wholly  self-supporting,  the  Mission  employ- 
ing only  five  helpers  apart  from  the  teachers,  and  the  most  wide- 
spread work  being  done  now  by  the  unpaid  leaders.  Some  of 
the  churches  not  only  support  all  of  their  own  work,  but  em- 
ploy evangelists  to  give  all  of  their  time  to  itinerating  work. 
For  example,  of  the  Chang  Yun  church,  in  Whang  Hai  Do,  one 
of  the  missionaries  writes  : “ This  church,  our  oldest  sub-station, 
is  entirely  self-supporting,  and  not  only  so,  but  they  support  a 
regular  evangelist  to  travel  and  carry  on  work  in  the  surround- 
ing country,  pay  the  traveling  expenses  of  any  approved  workers 
that  are  willing  to  do  country  work  in  the  intervals  of  their 
secular  labor,  have  endowed  their  own  day  school,  built  for  them- 
selves a large,  substantial  church,  have  contributed  to  the  work 
in  other  sections  ; at  a special  collection  taken  recently,  sub- 
scribed and  paid  over  to  the  Indian  Famine  Fund  between  $80 
and  $90,  and  now  propose  to  support  entirely  a foreign  mission- 
ary and  his  wife,  if  such  are  sent  to  live  in  their  neighborhood." 
They  propose  to  give  such  a man  rice  for  himself  and  his 
servants,  fuel,  some  money,  and  a farm  which  they  will  work  for 
him  under  his  direction. 

The  spirit  of  a true  self-reliance,  unaccompanied  by  any 
petulant  jealousy  or  bumptious  sense  of  independence,  seems  to 
have  been  developed  among  the  people.  In  upper  Whang  Hai 
Do,  for  example,  the  sub-stations  have  multiplied  greatly — loo 
fast  under  the  native  unpaid  leaders  to  allow  the  missionaries 
to  visit  them  carefully.  A great  need  of  books  arose,  and  the 
leaders  suggested  the  establishment  of  three  depositories  in  dif- 
erent  parts  of  the  field  where  the  people  could  go  and  purchase 
books,  but  they  deprecated  the  employment  of  paid  colporteurs 
by  the  Mission,  and  they  wished  all  the  expenses  to  be  met 
by  the  charges  for  books.  I was  struck  in  going  into  one  of  the 
four  large  Sunday  schools  in  Pyeng  Yang  with  the  fact  that 
on  the  floor  in  the  centre  of  each  group  of  men  was  a little 
pile  of  money.  I supposed  it  was  the  collection,  but  discovered 


20 


it  was  the  money  they  paid  simply  for  the  lesson  leaves.  Even 
those  they  had  no  desire  to  receive  as  a charity. 

The  secrets  of  this  happy  condition  are  two  : first,  there  is  a 
genuine  spiritual  life  in  the  hearts  of  these  people  ; and  sec- 
ondly, they  have  been  started  on  a right  basis  at  the  beginning. 
The  Mission  rules  are  worthy  of  presentation  : 

“A  leader  shall  be  a native  Christian,  selected  by  the  people 
of  a sub-station,  or  appointed  by  the  missionary  in  charge, 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  take  charge  of  the  regular  services  in 
the  absence  of  the  person  or  persons  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  to  have  general  oversight  of  the  sub-station. 

“A  steward  shall  be  a native  Christian  selected  by  the  people 
of  a sub-station,  or  appointed  by  the  missionary  in  charge,  to  tem- 
porarily perform  the  duties  of  a deacon,  but  without  ordination. 

“All  native  agents  receiving  pay  for  Christian  work,  with 
the  work  that  they  are  doing,  shall  be  brought  by  name  before 
the  Mission  at  its  annual  meetings  and  assigned  for  oversight  to 
the  various  members  of  the  Mission. 

“Those  native  agents  employed  as  preachers  to  the  heathen 
at  large,  shall  not  spend  their  time  in  neighborhoods  where 
there  are  sub-stations. 

“ No  member  of  the  Mission  shall  employ  on  pay  any  native 
agent  without  station  approval,  except  it  be  temporarily  in 
special  cases. 

“ No  one  shall  be  hired  to  do  occasional  evangelistic  work  in 
his  own  neighborhood. 

“ It  shall  be  definitely  understood  that  salaries  paid  to  native 
agents  are  not  salaries  in  the  sense  of  payments  for  Christian 
work  done,  but  rather  providing  them  with  the  means  of  sup- 
port so  that  they  may  be  able  to  give  their  whole  time  to  the 
work  to  which  they  believe  they  have  been  called. 

“ These  salaries  of  native  agents,  while  varying  somewhat 
of  course,  according  to  location  and  work,  shall  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible conform  to  a schedule  prepared  by  the  Mission  at  its 
annual  meeting. 

“ The  missionary  in  charge  shall  do  his  utmost  to  lead  each 
sub  station  to  make  an  annual  contribution,  either  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  native  agent  laboring  among  them,  or  of  persons 
chosen  by  themselves  to  labor  in  new  fields,  and  to  make  con- 
tributions for  the  poor,  and  other  special  objects. 

“ The  introduction  of  the  practice  of  having  those  who 
come  from  a distance  fed  after  the  service  on  Sabbath,  and 
defraying  expenses  from  the  regular  contributions  of  the  church, 
shall  be  strongly  discouraged. 

“Native  agents  shall  be  leaders,  stewards,  elders,  deacons, 
colporteurs,  helpers,  Bible  w'omen,  licentiates,  evangelists,  and 
pastors  ; leaders,  stewards,  elders,  and  deacons  shall  receive  no 
pay  for  such  services." 

These  rules  are  full  of  hard  sense.  They  recognize  that 
there  is  a proper  use  of  money  in  the  employment  of  native 


21 


dgerits,  but  they  strive  for  the  fundamental  principle  that  all 
Christians  must  be  workers,  and  that  the  work  must  grow  from 
the  bottom  up,  and  not  from  the  top  down.  They  firmly 
believe,  and  their  experience  confirms  this  belief,  that  Dr. 
Nevius’s  plan,  as  it  is  called,  is  practicable  and  wise.  They  are 
not  deceived,  as  many  who  have  never  tried  it  seem  to  be,  by  the 
idea  that  it  does  not  allow  any  employment  of  native  agency,  or 
even  a large  employment  of  native  agency,  provided  this  agency 
is  adequately  supervised  and  is  used  for  proper  work.  They  do 
not  believe  that  the  use  of  it  in  such  a way  as  to  relieve  native 
Christians  from  their  responsibilities  as  workers,  or  to  develop 
a set  of  men  who  preach  to  native  Christians  rather  than  lead 
them  in  work  and  evangelize  the  non-Christians,  or  who  settle 
down  into  a narrow,  localized  work  rather  than  broaden  out 
into  virile,  effective  itineracies,  is  a proper  use  of  mission  funds. 

Some  may  say  that  these  plans  work  in  Korea  because  the 
work  was  started  right.  Exactly  so.  Why  may  it  not  be  started 
right  in  all  the  new  points  where  we  are  constantly  opening  new 
work  in  other  fields?  Because  we  have  not  started  right  in  one 
part  of  a field  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  start  right  in 
another.  Or  some  may  say  that  these  Korean  Christians  are 
thoroughly  converted.  Exactly  so.  Is  the  spirit  of  God  able 
and  willing  to  do  for  them  what  He  is  unable  and  unwilling  to 
do  for  others?  Or  some  may  say  that  exceptional  conditions 
have  favored  the  growth  of  the  work.  It  is  so,  and  in  many 
other  fields  the  conditions  are  unfavorable.  That  may  make 
our  work  slower  or  smaller.  It  should  not  lead  to  the  adoption 
of  wrong  methods  in  it.  Or  some  may  say  that  the  character 
of  the  Koreans  is  such  as  to  make  a strong,  buoyant  movement 
like  this  possible  in  Korea,  while  it  would  not  be  possible  else- 
where. In  a sense  this  is  so.  National  character  has  great 
influence.  But  in  this  regard  the  Koreans  have  always  been 
ranked  low,  and  especially  in  comparison  with  the  Chinese  and 
Japanese.  If  such  fresh,  vital  methods  are  possible  in  Korea, 
they  ought  not  to  be  less  possible  in  China  and  Japan. 

In  any  event  the  spirit  of  work  and  love  is  in  the  Korean 
Christians.  During  our  stay  at  Pyeng  Yang  we  were  having  con- 
stant evidence  of  it.  One  day  an  unpaid  helper  came  in  report- 
ing from  his  circuit  thirty-one  congregations  he  had  visited,  and 
five  which  had  sprung  up,  but  which  he  had  not  been  able  to 
visit.  The  number  of  catechumens  in  each  varied  from  lo  to 
loo.  The  next  day  a helper  from  the  North  came  in  reporting 
six  congregations  which  had  raised  $127  for  their  expenses  and 
buildings,  and  nine  unorganized  groups  of  inquirers.  Another 
afternoon  the  Christians  had  a picnic  in  honor  of  Korea’s  Inde- 
pendence Day.  The  flags  with  which  they  marched  attracted  a 
great  crowd.  This  was  an  occasion  which  they  at  once  improved, 
and  they  preached  the  Gospel  to  the  crowd.  This  they  did 
repeatedly  to  new  crowds,  and  on  their  way  home  stopped  in  the 
most  public  place  in  the  city,  and  one  after  another  declared  to 


22 


the  great  throng  the  riches  of  Christ.  There  was  the  power  of 
a great  life  in  these  Christians.  They  were  fertile  in  plans  of 
evangelization  and  indefatigable  in  preaching  Christ  “ daily 
and  from  house  to  house,”  while  “ they  took  their  food  with 
gladness  and  singleness  of  heart,  praising  God  and  having  favor 
with  all  the  people.” 

An  unqualifiedly  favorable  view  of  the  condition  of  the  Ko- 
rean Christians  the  missionaries  were  constantly  discouraging, 
pointing  out  weaknesses  and  defects  and  shortcomings.  There 
are  and  will  be  many  disappointments,  and  the  work  may 
be  brought  up  with  a round  check  some  day,  as  it  was  in  Japan, 
though  from  different  causes.  But  if  I should  go  on  and  de- 
scribe the  churches  in  Seoul,  the  little  groups  of  Christians  in 
other  stations,  the  Sunday  schools,  and  individual  Christians, 
the  favorable  and  encouraging  elements  would  greatly  predomi- 
nate. It  appears  to  be  a good  Church,  founded  on  a good  basis. 

2.  Education. — The  Mission  has  moved  as  cautiously,  and 
it  seems  to  me  as  judiciously  in  some  regards,  in  the  educational 
work  as  in  the  development  of  the  native  Church.  The  last  re- 
port states  that  there  are  ten  day  schools  with  i66  pupils.  There 
were  at  that  time  also  two  boarding-schools,  both  in  Seoul, 
one  for  boys,  with  35  pupils,  and  one  for  girls,  with  38  pupils. 
The  latter  was  established  in  1888,  and  the  former  in  1886.  The 
boys’  school  began  as  an  orphanage,  and  part  of  the  instruction 
was  in  English.  In  1890  English  was  dropped  and  the  orphanage 
idea  was  abandoned  as  unsatisfactory.  At  the  meeting  last 
September,  when  Mr.  Grant  and*I  were  present,  it  was  unani- 
mously voted  to  close  the  school  for  the  present.  There*  were 
the  following  reasons  for  this:  (i)  The  evangelistic  work  is 
imperatively  urgent.  There  are  openings  everywhere.  These 
may  be  closed  shortly.  At  present  the  field  seems  white,  and 
all  available  men,  with  the  language  and  experience,  should  go 
out  among  the  people.  Sending  new  missionaries  prepares  for 
future  work,  but  it  does  not  do  the  work  which  is  now  crying  to 
be  done.  (2)  There  is  little  demand  from  the  native  Christians 
as  yet  for  higher  education.  Their  great  needs  are  for  Bible  in- 
struction and  primary  schools.  It  will  be  to  their  interest  to 
wait  a little  before  developing  a higher  school.  (3)  The  old 
school  had  not  been  satisfactory.  It  was  in  the  main  a primary 
school,  only  a few  boys  being  in  it  who  were  capable  of  receiving 
advanced  instruction;  and  it  seemed  best  to  turn  the  primary  de- 
partment over  to  one  of  the  Seoul  churches  as  a day  school,  to 
be  supported  by  it,  while  the  so-called  academic  department 
quietly  went  out  of  existence,  so  leaving  the  way  clear  for  a clean 
start  with  a new  and  real  high  school,  when  the  Mission  is 
ready  for  it.  (4)  There  was  no  one  available  who  was  adequately 
qualified  for  just  the  work  needing  to  be  done  in  Seoul.  Mr. 
Baird  and  Mr.  Miller,  who  had  had  charge  of  the  school  during 
the  year,  were  needed,  the  former  in  the  wide-open  work  in  the 
north,  and  the  latter  in  the  evangelistic  work  in  Whang  Hai  Do. 


23 


For  these  reasons  the  school  was  discontinued,  and  the  Mission 
asks  the  Board  to  sell  the  property  and  hold  the  proceeds  as  a 
special  fund  for  the  establishment  of  the  institution  as  soon  as 
it  may  seem  advisable  to  open  it  again.  I favor  this  proposal. 
The  old  property  can  not  be  put  to  any  other  wise  use  in  con- 
nection with  our  work,  and  it  is  located  in  a section  of  the  city 
where  we  should  not  wish  to  have  our  school. 

At  present,  therefore,  we  have  no  high  school  for  boys  in 
Korea.  I think  that  before  long  we  should  have  such  a school. 
The  Christian  community  is  growing  fast  and  will  need  it  for 
the  training  of  preachers,  teachers,  and  Christian  leaders  in  other 
callings.  There  is  great  need,  and  will  be  greater  need,  for  such 
an  institution.  There  are  schools  in  Seoul,  but  none  of  the  kind 
we  should  want  to  establish,  a school  in  the  vernacular,  openly 
and  aggressively  Christian,  and  doing  educational  work  of  solid 
and  thorough  character.  Dr.  Jaisohn  told  me  that  such  a 
school  would  be  thronged  with  pupils  even  without  the  induce- 
ments of  English  or  bread-and-butter  subsidies.  On  the  other 
hand,  some  of  the  missionaries  say  they  have  not  seen  any  de- 
mand for  vernacular  education.  I believe,  though,  that  if  we 
had  the  right  man  to  organize  and  inspire  our  school  we  could 
have  as  many  pupils  as  we  wanted,  and  could  largely  mould 
the  future  of  Korea.  The  opportunity  seems  to  me  magnifi- 
cent. Mr.  Adams  seemed  to  me  the  man  best  qualified  of  the 
present  force,  but  it  may  be  better  to  find  some  new  man  with 
the  special  gihs,  who  will  begin  slowly  and  humbly,  after  he  is 
prepared,  with  a few  boys,  and  who  will  be  all  for  quality  and 
solidity,  not  for  quantity  and  show.  The  industrial  ideas  some 
have  advocated  I do  not  believe  in,  and  the  problems  of  a man- 
ual element  in  the  school,  the  place  of  Chinese  in  its  curricu- 
lum, etc.,  are  secondary  questions  which  the  right  man  will 
be  led  to  settle  in  due  time.  Whether  Seoul  is  the  proper  place 
for  a school  designed  to  train  Christian  leaders  for  the  country  as 
well  as  the  city,  is  a hard  question.  It  is  a demoralizing  place 
to  country  boys,  and  it  is  a long  overland  journey,  both  from  the 
south  and  the  north,  though  much  shorter  by  sea.  By  the  time 
we  are  ready  to  reopen  the  school,  however,  there  will  be  further 
light  upon  the  question  of  its  location. 

The  branch  of  educational  work  most  needing  attention  is 
the  instruction  of  the  leaders.  The  work  has  grown  so  that  it 
has  been  difficult  to  keep  pace  with  this.  Its  present  momentum 
must  not  be  lost  through  the  loss  of  freshness  of  knowledge. 
The  new  converts  and  their  leaders  must  be  taught  and  put  in 
the  way  of  unending  growth  in  character  and  intelligence.  The 
Mission  has  aimed  to  provide  for  this,  as  its  rules  show  : 

“Section  D,  Article  I. — The  Mission  shall  provide  for  theo- 
logical instruction  to  be  given  to  its  various  native  agents  in 
summer  or  winter  theological  classes,  and  also,  when  the  time 
arrives,  for  more  systematic  and  thorough  instruction  by  a 
theological  school. 


24 


“Article  II. — The  winter  or  summer  theological  class  or  class- 
es of  the  Mission  shall  be  arranged  for  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Mission,  and  shall  be  placed  under  the  care  of  a member  or 
members  of  the  Mission. 

“ Article  III. — The  object  of  these  theological  classes  shall 
be  to  fit  the  vario'_3  native  agents  for  their  work,  but  more 
especially  to  prepare  natives  to  become  self-supporting  teachers 
of  others,  without  removing  them  from  their  various  callings. 

“ Article  IV. — The  various  members  of  the  Mission  having 
charge  of  sub-stations  shall  invite  the  leaders,  helpers,  and 
native  agents,  and  others  whom  they  see  fit,  to  attend  these 
classes  nearest  to  their  respective  sub-stations,  and  report  those 
who  will  attend  to  the  leader  of  the  class. 

“ Article  V. — Except  under  special  circumstances,  only  those 
invited  by  a member  of  the  Mission  shall  be  allowed  to  attend 
these  classes. 

“Article  VI. — The  work  required  of  the  members  of  the  class 
shall  be  such  that  all  idlers  or  others  with  any  personal  motives 
in  view  shall  find  it  more  agreeable  to  leave  the  class. 

“Article  VII. — It  shall  be  the  rule  of  the  Mission  to  simply 
provide  for  the  entertainment  of  the  members  of  this  class  while 
in  attendance  upon  its  duties,  and  only  in  exceptional  cases 
shall  any  portion  of  the  expenses  of  returning  home  be  paid  by 
the  Mission.” 

Progress  has  been  made  in  the  matter  of  self-support  in  these 
classes  since  this  rule  was  adopted.  The  Chang  Yun  church 
entertained  the  class  held  by  Dr.  Underwood  last  year,  and  it  is 
proposed  in  Pyeng  Yang  either  to  have  the  class  entertained  in 
the  houses  of  the  native  Chi  istians,  or  to  have  it  made  up  of  dele- 
gates appointed  by  the  groups  of  Christians  who  will  provide 
for  their  expenses  in  whole  or  in  part.  The  accounts  presented 
to  the  Mission  meeting  by  Dr.  Underwood  and  Mr.  Lee  of  the 
classes  held  last  year  are  deserving  of  the  careful  reading  of 
each  member  of  the  Board.  They  are  a revelation  of  the  vitality, 
the  reality,  the  substantial  character  of  this  work.  Mr.  Baird’s 
removal  to  Pyeng  Yang,  and  Mr.  Miller’s  assignment  to  a share 
in  the  great  evangelistic  work  which  Dr.  Underwood  was  carry- 
ing alone  will  enable  the  Mission  to  provide  for  yet  more 
thorough  instruction  of  the  leaders  and  others  who  come  this 
year;  for  the  missionaries  have  found  it  impossible  to  confine 
the  classes  to  the  numbers  originally  planned.  Men  and  women 
and  even  children  come  in,  some  from  long  distances,  and  refuse 
to  be  turned  away. 

The  Mission  has  conducted  annually  also  a teachers’  insti- 
tute, analogous  to  this  normal  theological  school,  only  designed 
to  fit  better  for  their  work  the  teachers  of  the  primary  schools. 
It  is  an  excellent  scheme.  Even  when  a high  school  of  academic 
grade  has  been  developed,  these  normal  institutes  held  during 
a favorable  season  of  the  year  for  Bible  training  and  for  train- 
ing in  methods  and  material  of  teaching  will  be  needed  for  a 


25 


great  and  useful  class  of  men  too  old  to  enter  a high  school, 
and  likely  to  be  rather  unfitted  than  better  prepared  by  its 
influence  and  method. 

The  Girls’  Boarding  School  is  now  in  its  comfortable  new 
home,  to  which  it  was  moved  because  (i)  in  its  old  location  it 
was  too  near  the  Methodist  school,  which  came  at  a later  time, 
and  with  which  it  could  not  compete,  (2)  in  its  new  location  it  was 
believed  there  would  be  more  room  for  woman’s  work,  and  (3)  the 
proximity  of  legations  and  the  new  palace  has  made  the  old  loca- 
tion objectionable.  During  the  last  year  forty-two  were  enrolled, 
eighteen  from  Christian  families,  and  six  from  the  families  of 
adherents.  Their  ages  ran  from  eight  to  seventeen.  Work  of  such 
sort  for  girls  is  now  in  the  stage  which  it  has  passed  through  in 
China  and  elsewhere.  Parents  do  not  value  education  for  their 
daughters,  and  do  not  care  to  support  their  daughters  in  schools, 
especially  when  it  costs  more  than  it  would  at  home,  and  the 
girl’s  labor  is  lost.  Also  there  is  little  opening  for  educated 
women.  Patience  and  perseverance  are  needed.  The  general 
judgment  of  the  Mission  in  the  discussion  we  heard  was  to  the 
effect  that  parents  should  be  expected  to  give  at  least  a large 
portion  of  the  rice  needed  for  their  daughters,  and  that  in  a 
boarding-school  the  age  limit  of  admission  should  not  be  too 
low.  The  primary  work  should  be  done  in  day-schools. 

The  Gospel  has  proved  a great  intellectual  stimulus  to  the 
native  Christians.  It  has  awakened  them  out  of  torpor.  They 
teach  one  another  to  read.  They  gather  in  their  simple  little 
churches  built  of  mud  and  rice-thatch  just  like  their  own  houses, 
and  talk  and  study,  and  they  want  schools.  The  Mission 
encourages  this  desire,  but  does  not  wish  to  frustrate  its  best 
results  by  providing  what  the  people  can  provide.  To  meet 
this  point  the  following  rules  were  adopted  at  the  Mission 
meeting  : 

Resolved^  That  in  places  where  there  is  a sufficient  Christian 
constituency,  private  schools  should  be  organized  and  sup- 
ported by  the  native  Church,  and  should  be  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  missionary  in  charge  of  the  district.  That  in 
exceptional  cases  assistance  may  be  given  by  the  Mission,  but 
not  to  exceed  more  than  one-half  the  expense  of  the  school. 

“ Primary  schools  carried  on  at  the  expense  of  the  Mission  for 
evangelistic  purposes  in  districts  where  there  is  not  yet  a suffi- 
ciently strong  Christian  constituency,  may  be  organized,  but 
only  after  direct  Mission  permission,  or  in  the  interim  between 
Mission  meetings  by  sanction  of  the  Educational  Commit- 
tee  

“We  recommend  that  the  age  of  entrance  to  the  Girls’ School 
be  raised  from  eight  years  to  ten  years  (foreign  count). 

“In  regard  to  making  an  advance  toward  self-support  in  the 
Girls’  School,  we  recommend  that  a strong  effort  in  that  direc- 
tion be  made,  the  method  adopted  being  left  to  the  direction  of 
the  one  in  charge.’’ 


26 


The  section  from  the  Mission  rules  regarding  schools  is  in  its 
outlines  so  sensible  that  I quote  it  in  full  : 

“ Sec.  C,  Art.  I.  All  the  schools  of  the  Mission  shall  be  under 
an  Educational  Committee,  which  shall  act  as  an  advisory  board, 
with  whom  the  various  superintendents  of  individual  schools 
shall  consult,  and  whose  special  duty  it  shall  be  to  see  that  the 
general  policy  of  the  Mission  with  reference  to  school  work  is 
upheld;  who  shall  attend,  or,  if  this  is  not  possible,  shall  appoint 
a committee  to  attend  the  annual  examinations  of  the  schools, 
and  who  shall  report  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Mission  im- 
mediately after  the  reports  of  the  superintendents  of  various 
schools  have  been  heard. 

Art.  II.  Each  school  shall  be  given  in  charge  of  a superin- 
tendent or  board  of  superintendents,  who  shall  have  the  entire 
charge  of  such  school — of  course  following  the  general  policy 
laid  down  by  the  Mission;  shall  advise  with  the  Educational 
Committee  on  all  new  departures,  and  report  annually  to  the 
Mission,  giving  the  total  expense,  total  number  of  pupils,  num- 
ber of  pupils  received,  number  of  old  pupils  lost  or  dismissed, 
number  of  teachers  and  the  wages  paid  them,  list  of  classes 
taught  by  foreign  superintendent,  number  of  Christian  pupils, 
and  general  moral  tone  of  the  school. 

Art.  III.  In  every  school  two  primary  ideas  are  to  be  kept 
in  view  : 

(1)  That  the  fundamental  idea  of  a school  is  to  educate 
in  the  various  branches  of  useful  knowledge,  and  thus  fit  the 
pupils  for  the  various  duties  and  responsibilities  of  active 
life. 

(2)  That  the  religious  and  spiritual  influence  brought  to  bear 
on  the  pupils  is  the  most  important  thing  in  the  school. 

Both  of  these  ideas  may  and  should  be  realized  in  a good 
school. 

Art.  IV.  Those  who  have  charge  of  the  school  should  give 
a fair  amount  of  time  to  teaching  and  other  personal  intercourse 
with  the  pupils,  so  as  to  gain  an  influence  over  them,  and  to 
impress  their  minds  and  characters.  Unexpected  visits  and 
stated  examinations  may  serve  to  keep  the  Korean  teacher  up 
to  his  work,  but  they  are  comparatively  ineffectual  in  moral  in- 
fluence and  in  power  to  affect  the  character  of  the  pupils. 

Art.  V.  The  board,  lodging,  etc.,  shall  be  perfectly  plain, 
and  a special  effort  shall  be  made  to  avoid  the  fostering  of  any 
ideas  and  the  forming  of  any  habits  which  will  unfit  the  pupils 
for  living  as  their  own  people  in  the  same  station  in  life  live. 

Art.  VI.  All  teachers  shall,  if  possible,  be  Christians,  and 
shall  be  mentioned  by  name  in  the  foreign  superintendent’s 
annual  report  of  the  school,  with  the  salary  paid  and  the  num- 
ber of  hours  a week  spent  in  teaching. 

Art.  VII.  When  pupils  are  admitted  to  the  school,  steps 
should  be  taken,  by  written  indenture  or  otherwise,  to  secure 
attendance  until  the  object  had  in  view  is  accomplished. 


27 


Art.  VIII.  As  pupils,  the  children  of  Christian  parents  are 
to  be  preferred  to  heathen  children,  because  they  are  more  likely 
to  fulfill  their  engagements  to  remain  in  the  school,  and  more 
likely  to  make  good  and  reliable  men  and  women  in  the  end. 

Art.  IX.  Save  in  exceptional  cases,  children  whose  parents 
are  beggars,  or  such  as  send  their  children  to  school  solely  to 
escape  their  maintenance,  shall  not  be  received  as  pupils. 

Art.  X.  Dull  and  stupid  boys  and  girls  shall  not  know- 
ingly be  received  into  a school,  nor  retained  there  as  a matter 
of  charity  to  them  or  their  parents. 

Art.  XI.  As  a rule,  boys  should  not  be  received  as  boarders 
under  ten  years  of  age  (foreign  count),  nor  girls  under  eight 
(foreign  count),  except  with  the  approval  of  the  local  members 
of  the  Educational  Committee. 

Art.  XII.  No  more  shall  be  done  in  the  way  of  board,  cloth- 
ing, etc.,  than  is  absolutely  necessary  to  secure  the  end  purposed 
by  the  school.  If  possible,  clothing,  bedding,  and  native  books 
shall  be  furnished  by  parents  or  guardians  of  the  pupils,  and  as 
soon  as  practicable,  parents  or  guardians  who  are  able  to  do  so, 
shall  be  required  to  pay  something  for  the  privilege  of  the  school. 

Art.  XIII.  An  examination  shall  conclude  each  school  year, 
which  shall  be  attended,  if  possible,  by  the  Educational  Commit- 
tee of  the  Mission,  and  a report  of  the  examination  rendered  to 
the  Mission  at  its  annual  meeting. 

Art.  XIV.  The  course  of  study  of  all  schools  shall  be,  in  the 
main,  uniform,  taking  for  its  guide  a course  to  be  prepared  here- 
after. All  these  schools  shall  aim  to  prepare  students  for  an 
educational  institution  which  shall  be  located  in  Seoul.” 

These  rules  apply  in  the  main  to  the  boarding-schools.  The 
age  limits,  as  applied  to  pupils  in  boarding-schools,  are  altogether 
too  low.  In  rules  intended  to  cover  day  schools,  also,  require- 
ments of  sufficient  missionary  supervision  cannot  be  made  too 
strict.  Even  in  Korea  we  had  evidence  of  the  loss  incurred  by 
a want  of  such  supervision.  If  a school  cannot  be  made  what  it 
should  be,  it  may  not  be  best  always  at  once  to  discontinue  it, 
but  the  presumption  is  adverse  to  its  continuance. 

3.  Medical  Work — I think  that  there  are  no  features  of 
medical  work  peculiar  to  Korea.  What  has  been  said  in  my 
report  on  China  applies  equally  to  Korea.  Medical  work  is 
scarcely  needed  in  Korea,  however,  to  incline  the  people  favor- 
ably toward  Christianity.  It  should  have  the  evangelistic  aim 
even  more  conspicuously  than  in  China,  if  that  might  be.  Only 
a few  points  need  to  be  touched  upon,  (i)  We  have  three  hos- 
pitals in  Korea  : one  in  Seoul,  the  largest,  with  a capacity  of  thirty 
in-patients,  and  an  average  of  fifteen  in-patients  during  the  year; 
one  in  Pyeng  Yang,  with  a smaller  capacity,  and  one  in  Fusan, 
which  is  really  only  a dispensary,  with  an  operating  room,  waiting 
room,  and  one  or  two  more  additional  rooms.  The  medical  mis- 
sionaries last  year  treated  23,778  out-patients  in  these  hospitals 
and  in  the  dispensaries  under  Dr.  Vinton  and  Dr.  Whiting,  and  383 


28 


in-patients.  (2)  I do  not  believe  we  ought  to  enlarge  greatly  the 
medical  missionary  force  in  Korea.  We  have  no  medical  mis- 
sionary at  Gensan,  but  there  are  two  doctors  there.  In  Pyeng 
Yang  the  Methodists  have  agood  medical  work, and  in  Seoul  there 
are  four  other  hospitals,  two  under  the  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel,  and  two  under  the  Methodists.  It  could  be 
hoped  that  there  might  be  some  consolidation  between  these  five 
institutions,  of  which  ours  was  first  in  the  field  and  has  ever  been 
the  largest  and  most  efficient,  but  there  is  no  prospect  at  all  of 
this.  (3)  Feeling  that  the  field  was  thus  supplied,  and  desiring 
to  have  a more  active  part  in  the  country  evangelistic  w'ork. 
Dr.  Whiting  asked  the  Mission  to  assign  her  to  such  work. 
Some  felt  that  a woman  doctor  could  gain  access  to  a high  class  of 
houses  and  women  in  Seoul  inaccessible  to  anyone  else,  but  Dr. 
Whiting  regards  this  opening  as  exceedingly  small,  if,  indeed,  it 
can  be  obtained  at  all  save  in  such  exceptional  ways  as  have 
come  to  Mrs.  Underwood.  (4)  The  Korea  Mission,  with  the 
unanimous  concurrence  of  the  doctors,  has  decided  upon  a 
policy  adverse  to  indiscriminate  gratuitous  treatment.  At  Pyeng 
Yang,  in-patients  bring  their  own  bedding  and  pay  sixty  cents  a 
day  for  food,  while  each  dispensary  patient  pays  five  cents.  At 
Seoul  the  regular  fee  for  in-patients  is  twelve  cents  a day,  which  is 
supposed  to  cover  food  and  fuel.  As  a matter  of  fact,  the  majority 
do  not  pay,  but  are  taken  on  charity.  In  the  dispensary,  charges 
are  made  in  proportion  to  the  value  of  the  medicines.  At  Fusan 
there  has  been  special  success  in  increasing  receipts,  while  turn- 
ing no  one  away  because  he  cannot  pay.  (5)  There  would  seem 
to  be  some  room  for  sharper  application  of  the  Manual  rules  re- 
garding receipts  on  the  field  in  some  cases,  and  also  for  more  rigid 
adherence  to  the  instructions  of  the  Manual  as  to  estimates,  which 
require  a statement  of  the  total  estimated  expenses  and  total 
estimated  receipts,  request  being  made  for  an  appropriation 
equal  to  the  excess  of  the  former  over  the  latter,  and  all  of  the 
latter  passing  into  the  treasury  of  the  Board.  (6)  Dr.  Avison  has 
in  Seoul  a class  of  seven  in  the  hospital  who  are  studying  medi- 
cine with  him.  Two  of  these  support  themselves  wholly  ; to  two 
only  their  food  is  given.  All  work  as  assistants  in  the  dispen- 
sary and  wards.  I’he  work  is  rendered  difficult  because  of  the 
want  of  all  text-books  and  of  all  medical  and  anatomical  terms 
in  the  native  language. 

4.  Woman's  Work. — “Ten  years  ago,”  wrote  Mrs.  Under- 
wood, a year  ago,  “it  was  thought  hardly  safe  for  ladies  to  enter 
Korea  as  missionaries,  and  seven  years  ago  the  writer’s  life  was 
threatened  on  the  street  and  her  chair-bearers  told  they  should 
die  if  they  carried  her  to  the  hospital,  so  that  it  was  necessary 
to  go  there  on  horseback  for  a day  or  two.”  Now  women  live 
and  travel  anywhere,  and  the  work  among  the  native  women  has 
grown  and  prospered  scarcely  less  than  among  the  men.  When 
Mrs.  Gifford  left  Seoul  for  her  furlough  last  year,  the  Christians 
insisted  on  carrying  her  chair  for  her,  and  all  her  baggage. 


29 


They  paid  her  fare  from  Seoul  to  Chemulpo.  A great  crowd,  with 
presents,  accompanied  her,  and  as  her  steamer  sailed  off  they  sat 
on  a hill,  with  banners,  singing  Christian  songs.  In  Pyeng  Yang 
the  work  has  grown  so  that  the  men  alone  fill  the  old  church, 
though  it  has  been  four  or  five  different  times  enlarged ; therefore 
the  women  are  obliged  to  have  a church  of  their  own,  which  they 
crowd  full,  while  a blind  helper,  whose  want  of  sight  renders  it 
proper  for  him  to  work  among  them,  preaches  as  true  a Gospel 
as  can  be  heard  anywhere  in  the  world.  It  would  be  easy  to 
write  from  my  notes  many  pages  illustrative  of  the  way  the 
Gospel  has  laid  hold  of  the  women,  transformed  some  of  them, 
quickened  their  intellectual  life,  purged  them  of  vilest  sins,  made 
them  clean,  intelligent,  active.  It  has  wonderfully  blessed  the 
homes  of  these  women.  The  Korean  woman  is  somewhat  like 
the  Moslem  woman  in  her  home  life.  The  woman’s  quarters  are 
usually  separate  and  she  must  not  be  too  much  seen.  The 
Gospel  has  meant  liberty  and  love  to  her.  At  the  close  of  a long 
interview  with  a congregation  of  women,  I asked,  “ Do  your 
husbands  treat  you  more  lovingly  since  they  became  Christians  ? ” 
“According  to  Korean  custom,”  one  replied,  “ men  look  down 
on  wives  and  beat  them.  I see  my  son,  who  is  a Christian, 
treating  his  wife  with  love.  I have  not  experienced  it.  My 
husband  is  not  a Christian.”  There  was  a moment  of  silence 
then,  and  another  said  softly,  “ My  husband  is  different  now. 
He  loves  me.” 

Except  in  Seoul  all  the  work  for  woman  thus  far  has  been 
done  by  missionary  wives.  With  all  of  their  home  cares,  learning 
the  language,  and  the  mastery  of  the  practical  details  of  life  in 
a new  mission  field,  they  have  still  found  time  and  strength  for 
a glorious  work.  In  Seoul  there  have  been  unmarried  women 
for-  the  work  also,  and  there  is  room  for  more,  especially  for 
teaching  the  women  and  for  country  work.  The  reinforcements 
sent  this  year  should  be  sufficient  to  meet  the  more  urgent 
needs. 

A large  number  of  native  Christian  women  are  voluntary, 
unpaid  workers.  A woman  of  means  in  northern  Whang  Hai  Do 
has  put  up  a church  in  her  community,  and  also  travels  about 
at  her  own  charges  as  a woman  leader.  At  least  one  appropria- 
tion for  a woman  helper  has  been  made,  but  I think  none  have 
been  employed,  except  teachers  of  schools.  “ I raise  the  ques- 
tion,” said  one  member  in  mission  meeting,  “ whether  this  is  not 
a better  policy  than  paying  any  woman  a salary  for  work.  To 
pay  a woman  worker  might  secure  larger  present  numbers,  but 
would  not  the  work  be  stronger  and  more  lasting  if  we  built  it 
up  without  money,  using  that  only  for  expenses  of  travel,  etc., 
when  v/e  take  a girl  or  woman  with  us  for  work  in  the  country  ? ” 
“Yes,”  said  another,  “the  woman  helper  whom  I had  with  me 
last  got  her  rice,  but  received  no  pay.”  “ Let  us  use  many 
women,”  added  Mr.  Baird,  “ rather  than  one  or  a few,  in  work. 
This  will  train  a larger  number  and  avoid  many  troubles.” 


30 


“Some  say,”  concluded  the  first,  “that  we  need  paid  women 
helpers  as  deaconesses,  but  we  have  deaconess  work  done  in 
the  Chang  Dong  church  by  voluntary  women  helpers.”  Such 
a growing  work  on  such  a sound  basis  is  a great  comfort  Mrs. 
Underwood  closes  the  article  which  supplies  the  quotation  at 
the  beginning  of  this  section,  with  the  words  : “We  are  not  as 
eager  to  see  a large  number  of  women  entered  on  our  rolls  as  to 
be  sure  that  the  Gospel  in  purity  and  simplicity  is  being  spread 
far  and  wide.” 

5.  Missionaries. — I have  already  expressed  to  the  Board  the 
conviction  w'hich  intimate  intercourse  with  the  missionaries  in 
Persia,  China,  and  Japan  was  constantly  deepening,  regarding 
their  character  and  abilities.  I heard  Dr.  Stalker  say  once  that 
he  had  formed  the  opinion,  after  careful  and  wide  observation, 
that  the  average  missionary  was  a little  stronger  intellectually 
and  a little  better  spiritually  than  the  average  minister  at  home. 
However  that  may  be,  the  missionaries  are  better  men  and 
women  even  than  I had  before  judged  them  to  be  ; more  sensible, 
more  attractively  human  and  sane,  more  earnest,  more  open  to 
improvement,  more  energetic,  more  judicious  than  my  ideal  of 
them,  which  was  already  high.  The  missionaries  are  seen  to 
the  best  advantage  in  the  midst  of  their  work.  What  they  are  seen 
to  be  there  is  the  best  answer  to  criticisms  upon  their  earnestness, 
devotion,  or  judgment. 

The  Korean  missionaries  rank  high  in  all  of  these  qualities.. 
The  opinion  of  Mr.  Sill,  who  was  United  States  Minister  at  the 
time  of  our  visit,  would  be  confirmed  by  all  who  know  them  : 
“The  missionaries  here  are  a strong,  level  headed,  efficient  body 
of  men.  They  are  a remarkable  lot.  I have  had  greatest 
pleasure  in  associating  with  them.  Some  people  say  mission- 
aries are  a troublesome  lot,  but  I have  never  met  men  more 
sensible,  more  easy  to  get  along  with.  I think  highly  of  them.” 

The  relations  between  the  missionaries  and  the  natives  is  in 
the  main  delightful,  though  some  find  it  difficult  to  maintain 
that  balance  between  the  spirit  of  complete  confidence  and  trust 
and  the  judgment  of  scrutiny  and  care  which  is  as  necessary  as 
it  is  hard,  for  many.  It  is  indispensable  both  to  trust  and  to 
inspire  trust  on  one  hand,  and  to  avoid  self-deception  or  rash 
over-confidence  on  the  other. 

The  language  examinations  prescribed  by  the  Mission  are 
very  thorough,  and  the  Examination  Committee  is  charged  with 
a wide  responsibility,  which  it  is  to  be  feared  is  allowed  to  be 
slighted  at  times.  The  Mission  rule,  however,  is  as  follows  : 

“Article  II. — The  Examination  Committee  shall  not  only 
examine,  but  act  as  an  advisory  committee  along  the  line  of  the 
studies  of  the  new  missionaries,  and  shall  arrange  for  quarterly 
examinations  during  the  first  two  years.  The  Examination 
Committee  shall  notify  new  missionaries,  on  their  arrival,  of  the 
course  of  study  and  the  person  to  whose  oversight  they  have 
been  assigned.  No  missionary  shall  be  considered  to  have 


31 


passed  the  final  examination  (except  in  the  case  of  married 
ladies)  until  he  or  she  has  passed  at  least  two  of  the  annual 
examinations  before  a majority  of  the  members  of  the  Examina- 
tion Committee.” 

It  is  the  practice  of  the  Korea  Mission  to  employ  language 
teachers  for  the  married  women,  rather  than  to  try  to  have  one 
teacher  suffice  for  a husband  and  wife.  The  estimates  for  the  cur- 
rent year  asked  for  twenty-six  teachers  for  twenty-eight  mission- 
aries, including  wives,  at'an  estimated  expense  of  yen  2,972.  It  has 
been  felt  that  husbands  and  wives  would  want  to  be  using  their 
teachers  in  the  mornings  at  the  same  time  ; or  even  if  they  did 
not,  that  a teacher  who  had  been  worked  hard  all  morning 
would  not  be  a satisfactory  teacher,  though  he  might  be  em- 
ployed on  other  work,  in  the  afternoon.  As  a matter  of  fact, 
some  of  the  teachers  have  been  rather  secretaries,  or  mission 
helpers,  than  genuine  language  teachers,  and  should  be  so  en- 
tered in  the  estimates.  Not  enough  real  language  study  is  done 
to  employ  the  time  of  twenty-six  teachers  for  it.  I think  it  is 
fair  to  raise  the  question  whether  there  might  not  be  some 
room  for  economy  here,  and  yet  it  is  not  desirable  to  force  this 
unduly,  at  the  expense  of  thorough  mastery  of  the  language. 

The  sanitary  condition  of  Korean  cities  is  bad,  but  it  is  not 
worse  than  that  of  Chinese  cities,  if  as  bad.  And  the  summers 
in  Seoul,  which  is  set  in  a cup  in  the  hills  of  yellow  granite 
sand  and  black  rock,  are  said  to  be  very  hot.  But  in  the  main, 
Korea  is  an  exceptionally  healthful  country,  and  some  of  our 
stations  are  as  good  as  sanitariums,  the  missionaries  themselves 
declare.  The  regular  Manual  provisions  regarding  term  of  serv- 
ice and  furloughs  work  no  hardship  at  all  in  the  case  of  Korea 
missionaries. 

The  cost  of  living  in  Korea  is  unquestionably  higher  than  in 
China.  Wages  are  higher,  and  prices  of  produce  as  well.  The 
silver  dollar  in  Korea  buys  only  500  cash,  while  in  China  it  buys 
from  800  to  1,000.  Somewhat  larger  salaries  seem  to  be  justified. 

Objections  to  unmarried  men  missionaries  in  Korea  lie  v/ith 
equal  force,  so  far  as  these  objections  refer  to  misunderstand- 
ing and  slander,  against  unmarried  women  and  even  against 
married  men.  In  all  cases  missionaries  have  to  establish  their 
characters,  and  live  down  misconception;  and  difficulties  on  this 
score  ought  not  to  constitute  a barrier,  denying  to  unmarried 
men  the  privilege  of  missionary  work  in  Korea.  For  men  like 
Mr.  Moffett,  Mr.  Whittemore,  and  Mr.  Hunt  there  is  a large  field. 

One  question  which  emerged  in  the  mission  meeting  referred 
to  the  principles  which  should  control  a missionary  in  the  use  of 
private  funds.  Can  such  funds  be  used  wholly  without  restraint  ? 
I expressed  the  opinion  that  such  funds  should  never  be  used  in 
a way  contrary  to  Mission  policy,  nor  in  forms  of  work  not 
wholly  approved  by  the  Mission,  nor  in  such  a way  as  to  con- 
strain Mission  action,  or  involve  Mission  responsibility  without 
its  approval,  or  the  Board's  responsibility  without  its  approval. 


32 

IV.  Problems  and  Dangers. 

1.  One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  Korean  Church 
is  its  patriotism.  Our  belated  coasting  vessel  deposited  us  in 
North  Korea  on  a Sunday  morning,  and  along  the  river  Mr.  Lee 
called  our  attention  to  villages  in  which,  on  bamboo  poles,  small 
Korean  flags  were  flying.  These  flags  marked  the  residences  of 
Christians,  or  were  flying  over  the  churches.  It  is  a practice 
which  has  grown  up  among  the  Christians  without  missionary 
suggestion,  to  run  up  the  national  colors  over  their  homes  and 
churches  on  Sunday.  They  do  it  to  proclaim  the  character  of 
the  day,  and  to  mark  their  own  respect  for  it.  Some  of  the  lead- 
ing Koreans  in  Seoul  have  organized  an  Independence  Club  and 
have  laid  out  an  Independence  Park  and  built  an  Independence 
Arch  and  established  an  Independence  Day,  the  sixteenth  day 
of  the  seventh  Korean  month,  in  celebration  of  their  independ- 
ence of  China,  brought  about  through  the  war.  These  are  the 
advanced  and  liberal  men.  The  reactionary  Confucianists  hunger 
for  the  good  old  iniquitous  days.  The  leading  spirit  in  the 
progressive  movement  is  Dr.  Jaisohn,  a native  Korean,  who  is  a 
naturalized  American  citizen,  and  a member  of  Dr.  Hamlin’s 
church  in  Washington,  an  attractive,  able,  and  earnest  man.  His 
representative  character  as  a Christian,  a leading  progressive, 
the  editor  of  the  one  vernacular  newspaper,  which  speaks  out 
with  unflinching  boldness  and  also  publishes  an  English  edition, 
and  as  a man  who  was  given  official  position  when  the  progressive 
movement  was  dominant,  has  great  influence  in  identifying  the 
Christian  cause  with  the  cause  of  Korean  independence  and 
progress.  Most  of  the  patriotic  demonstrations  were  made  by 
the  Christians  while  we  were  in  Korea.  In  Pyeng  Yang  they 
had  a great  picnic  on  Independence  Day.  No  one  else  ob- 
served the  day.  On  the  King’s  birthday,  which  fell  on  Sunday, 
they  listened  to  patriotic  sermons  in  churches  decorated 
profusely  with  national  flags.  The  next  day  they  had  in  Seoul 
a great  open-air  mass-meeting,  addressed  by  Dr.  Jaisohn,  by  the 
Mayor  of  Seoul,  formerly  Minister  in  Washington,  whose  wife  is 
a Christian,  and  by  the  Assistant  Minister  of  Education,  a devout 
Christian,  who  was  a member  of  the  Korean  embassy  to  the 
Czar’s  coronation,  and  who  was  educated  in  the  United  States. 
On  the  last  Sunday  we  were  in  Korea,  another  great  mass-meet- 
ing was  held  in  a royal  building,  at  which  half  a dozen  spoke, 
and  some  of  the  speeches  ran  into  the  same  fervent  political 
strain.  One  spoke  on  the  text  which  describes  the  apostolic  mis- 
sionaries as  men  who  were  turning  the  world  upside  down,  and 
pointed  out  how,  in  Korea,  men  had  been  really  standing  on  their 
heads  in  the  mud.  “The  missionaries  have  come  to  right  things. 
Society  must  be  turned  upside  down.  There  is  no  hope  in  the 
upper  classes.  Christianity  begins  at  the  bottom.  After  all,  a 
man’s  a man,  be  he  king,  noble,  or  coolie.”  Then  a voice  in  the 
crowd  said  “ What  kind  of  talk  is  this?”  “ Christianity  is  no 
Tong  hak  or  rebellious  doctrine,”  the  speaker  went  on.  “It 


33 


teaches  only  to  worship  God,  fear  no  man  and  do  right.” 
“Whom  have  we  to  fear? ’’asked  the  next  speaker.  “Who  is 
there  to  trust  except  God?  Great  men?  If  you  stick  a knife 
into  them  it  will  hurt  just  as  it  would  hurt  me.  No  ; trust  God 
only  and  we  shall  win.  Christ's  kingdom  will  prevail.  Where 
is  Alexander’s  empire  ? Where  are  Greece  and  Rome  ? Gone 
utterly  ! And  where  is  Christ  ? Ruling  everywhere.  It  can  not 
end  otherwise.  Right  and  God  and  Jesus  will  win.  There  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  not  expect  to  see  a Christian  king  on  the 
throne  of  Korea.”  No  such  free  and  stirring  speech  as  this  had 
ever  been  heard  in  Korea  before. 

The  reasons  for  this  fervid  patriotism  among  the  Christians 
are  manifold.  One  is  that  Christianity  has  quickened  and  vivi- 
fied the  minds  of  the  people  and  given  them  boldness  of  speech, 
so  that  they  see  now  the  abuses  of  the  past  and  the  glory  of 
independence,  and  are  able  to  reason  dauntlessly  about  such 
things.  Another  is  that  Christianity  is  essentially  an  emanci- 
pating religion,  and  leads  inevitably  to  the  desire  for  free  gov- 
ernment and  pure  and  popular  institutions.  Yet  another  is  that 
the  Catholics  have  always  erred  in  the  want  of  patriotism,  and, 
indeed,  in  being  guilty  of  downright  treason  to  Korea.  Coming 
out  into  Protestant  enlightenment  just  at  the  time  that  Korea 
was  being  roughly  hustled  by  Japan  into  the  paths  of  civiliza- 
tion quite  a little  against  its  will  ; and  then  seeing  Japan’s  grasp 
failing,  and  the  country  standing  without  true  heart  or  strong 
mind,  the  Christians  have  been  roused  to  speak  out  boldly,  for 
their  King,  to  be  sure,  but  also  for  righteous  government  and 
just  laws.  A further  reason  is  to  be  found  in  the  influence 
of  some  leading  men  who  recognize  that  the  one  hope  of  the 
country  lies  in  the  power  of  Christianity  and  Christian  educa- 
tion. One  of  these  said  to  me,  “The  only  hope  of  the  country 
is  in  the  churches.  There  is  no  moral  character  in  Korea.  It 
is  being  created  in  the  churches.  There  is  no  cohesion,  or  unity, 
or  confidence  among  men.  There  is  no  company  of  men, 
however  small,  capable  of  acting  together.  The  churches  are 
raising  up  bands  of  men  who  know  how  to  combine  for  a com- 
mon object,  who  are  quickened  intellectually,  and  are  full  of 
character,  courage,  and  hope.  To  convert  and  educate  the  com- 
mon people  is  the  only  hope  of  the  land.”  Some  Korea  magis- 
trates hold  these  same  views. 

There  is  a great  deal  that  is  hopeful  and  encouraging  in  this, 
but  there  is  also  a danger  that  Christianity  may  be  politicalized, 
if  I may  use  a barbarous  word.  As  it  is,  in  some  places  the 
people  think  the  Christians  are  partisans  of  the  West  and  of 
Western  civilization,  and  are  not  true  Koreans  any  more.  When 
they  cut  off  their  absurd  top-knots,  as  many  are  doing,  and  put 
on  foreign  clothes,  as  a few  have  done,  the  idea  gains  added 
support.  In  his  last  evangelistic  report  Dr.  Underwood  cites  a 
striking  case  of  confusion  of  Christianity  with  political  influence, 
which  illustrates  in  part  this  danger:  ‘ ‘ ' v ' ' ' ' ‘ 


34 


“At  Keum  Chun,  an  offshoot  of  this  work,  a church  has  been 
purchased  and  the  work  progresses  well.  At  Pyeng  San,  a joint 
offshoot  from  Chaing  Yung  and  Pai  Chun,  a very  promising 
work  has  commenced.  These  three  places  have  passed  through 
considerable  trial,  through  the  rascality  of  some  four  or  five 
men,  who,  though  never  reckoned  as  Christians  by  the  Chris- 
tians, announced  themselves  such,  and  securing  the  assistance  of 
the  weak  magistrates  of  Chairyung,  Pong  San  and  Pyung  San, 
brought  no  little  discredit  upon  the  cause  of  Christ.  These  men 
went  to  the  magistrates,  and  stating  that  they  had  been  ap- 
pointed Christian  leaders  by  Mr.  Underwood  of  Seoul,  and  with-  ' 
out  civil  authority  it  was  impossible  to  make  the  Christians  do 
right,  they  asked  and  received  from  these  magistrates  official 
documents,  appointing  them  Christian  leaders,  and  ordering 
all  to  whom  these  papers  should  be  presented  to  obey  them. 
Whether  the  magistrates  were  intimidated  into  doing  this,  or 
whether  a monetary  consideration  assisted  in  the  procuring  of 
these  papers  I do  not  know,  but  that  the  documents  were  given 
with  magisterial  seals  affixed,  I know,  for  they  are  now  in  my 
study.  Armed  with  these  papers,  they  went  through  that  sec- 
tion, extorting  money,  ordering  arrests,  commanding  magis- 
trates to  decide  cases  in  their  favor,  and  dressed  in  foreign 
clothes,  with  rifles  and  swords,  intimidated  the  people  generally. 
The  prompt  action  of  the  Chang  Yun  church  helped  not  a little 
to  restore  confidence  in  true  Christianity. 

“ Deacon  An,  having  been  appointed  to  go  down  to  Pyung  San 
and  announce  to  the  people  that  we  had  nothing  to  do  with 
these  so-called  Christians,  who  were  only  brigands,  arrived  at  a 
village  just  as  these  men,  with  much  paraphernalia  and  blas- 
phemy, were  on  the  point  of  carrying  on  some  of  their  so-called 
Christian  rites.  They  had  forced  the  people  of  the  village  to 
prepare  a grand  feast  for  them,  and  had  compelled  the  wealth- 
iest man  to  give  them  a large  sum  of  money.  Deacon  An,  en- 
tering the  room  where  the  meeting  was  to  be  held,  found  the 
Bible  and  some  Christian  books  upon  the  table,  over  which  a 
white  cloth  had  been  spread.  I am  told  that  wherever  they 
went,  they  pretended  great  reverence  for  the  Bible  and  Chris- 
tian books.  Unarmed  and  alone,  as  he  was.  Brother  An  arose, 
denounced  the  leaders  as  impostors,  and  demanded  the  return 
of  the  stolen  money.  His  cause  being  righteous,  his  boldness 
won  the  day.  He  urged  the  people  not  to  retaliate,  to  use  only 
legal  means,  and  went  with  them  to  lay  the  matter  before  the 
magistrates.  It  took  considerable  correspondence  between  the 
American  Legation,  the  Foreign  Office,  Home  Office,  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  province,  and  the  magistrates  before  the  matter  was 
straightened.” 

The  views  of  the  missionaries  on  this  subject  are  altogether 
clear  and  satisfactory.  They  wish  Christianity  to  be  introduced 
and  extended  as  a spiritual  movement,  and  are  striving,  as  far 
as  they  can,  to  discourage  the  political  idea.  Perhaps  I exag- 


35. 


gerate  the  danger  ; but  there  seems  to  me  to  be  need  of  the 
most  careful  and  judicious  direction  of  the  native  Church,  lest  it 
swing  loose  or  be  some  time  misled  or  misused.  Or,  if  these 
perils  are  only  imaginary,  there  is  at  least  need  that  wrong 
notions  of  Christianity  do  not  get  foothold  among  those  outside 
of  the  Church.  Christianity  is  sure  to  bear  civil  and  social 
fruits.  These  will  be  sound  and  valuable  in  proportion  as  they 
are  the  fruits  of  a spiritual  and  unworldly  Christianity. 

The  present  political  situation  in  Korea  furnishes  added 
reason  for  the  greatest  prudence  and  caution.  The  murder  of 
the  queen  at  the  instigation  of  Viscount  Miura,  the  Japanese 
Minister,  in  October,  1895,  and  the  consequent  flight  of  the  king 
from  his  palace,  and  from  the  control  of  the  Japanese,  to  the 
Russian  Legation,  put  Japanese  influence  in  Korea  at  an  end, 
and  turned  Korea  over  to  Russia  as  completely  as  though 
Russia  had  waged  the  war  with  China  for  the  possession  of  the 
land.  Of  course  Japan  had  disavowed  any  but  the  most  superior 
altruistic  motives  in  the  war.  She  was  aiming  to  introduce 
Korea  to  civilization  and  to  become  herself  the  pilot  of  all  of 
Asia  into  light.  And  while  she  had  control  of  Korea  she 
introduced  many  admirable  reforms,  placing  Korea  under  the 
deepest  obligations  to  her.  It  was  the  sincere  and  honest  desire 
of  the  Japanese  Government  to  help  Korea  and  purify  her.  It 
was  done  in  a bungling  way — a way  that  alienated  the  Koreans 
and  made  the  Japanese  detested  throughout  the  whole  country 
— but  the  motive  was  good,  and  many  of  the  results  were 
admirable.  Then  the  fatal  and  wicked  blunder  of  October  8th 
brought  the  thing  to  an  end.  Since  the  Japanese  left,  the 
country  has  been  dropping  back  into  its  old  ways.  Squeezing, 
unjust  taxation,  office  buying  and  selling,  have  been  resumed. 
Mr.  Weber,  the  Russian  Minister,  and  Mr.  McLeavy  Brown,  the 
head  of  the  Customs  and  adviser  to  the  Treasury,  stemmed  the 
current  ; but  Mr.  Weber  did  not  feel  the  call  to  the  mission  of 
reform,  as  the  Japanese  felt  it,  and  he  has  now  been  succeeded 
by  Mr.  Speyer,  who  is  said  to  be  a man  of  different  mood,  with 
whom  Russia  will  be  more  and  Korea  less,  and  telegrams 
announce  the  removal,  under  his  pressure,  of  Mr.  Brown.  There 
would  seem  to  be  no  obstacles  now  in  the  way  of  the  descent  to 
Avernus.  The  Korean  king,  who  is  neither  a strong  nor  a good 
man,  will  find  it  easy,  and  a great  host  of  panderers  and  leeches 
will  assist  his  descent.  The  Russians  will  prevent  too  much  in- 
justice, but  will  not  assist  any  over-progressiveness,  and  will  prob- 
ably encourage  a stationary  condition  of  things.  The  general 
tone  of  the  Government  at  present  is  illustrated  by  this  royal 
edict,  contained  in  the  Government  Gazette  of  August  19th  : 

Edict. — We  have  been  blessed  by  Merciful  Heaven,  and  we 
have  been  guided  by  the  royal  spirits  of  our  illustrious  ancestors 
in  directing  State  affairs.  But  when  we  reflect  upon  ourselves, 
we  realize  that  we  are  not  worthy  of  being  trusted  with  so  great 
a duty  as  to  rule  the  country  of  our  royal  ancestors.  This 


36 

thought  causes  us  constant  worry  and  discomfort.  However, 
through  heaven’s  bountiful  blessing,  our  country  has  been 
peaceful,  and  many  auspicious  omens  have  manifested  them- 
selves since  our  reign.  We,  instead  of  doing  our  duty  more 
diligently  under  the  auspicious  circumstances,  have  become 
negligent  in  the  duties  which  we  owe  to  the  nation,  resulting 
in  a general  confusion  and  perversion  throughout  the  country. 
At  last  a most  irreparable  calamity  has  visited  the  royal 
family,  which  event  we  cannot  bear  to  speak  of  again.  It 
was  solely  due  to  our  unpopularity  that  such  a horrible  event 
happened. 

“ After  that  event  the  traitors  had  their  own  way  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  State  affairs.  They  destroyed  the  old  customs 
of  the  country,  and  abolished  the  formalities  of  ceremonies  and 
sacrifices.  But,  fortunately,  we  have  re-established  some  of  the 
ancient  customs,  and  made  some  recoveries  in  those  matters 
relating  to  the  welfare  of  the  country.  We  have  cultivated  the 
friendship  of  a neighboring  power,  and  regained  our  inde- 
pendent rights.  In  looking  over  the  old  history,  we  find  that 
during  the  Chu  dynasty  the  country  became  more  prosperous 
after  the  reign  of  Emperors  Sung  and  Kang  : during  the  Han 
dynasty  the  country  was  regenerated  after  the  reign  of  the 
Emperors  Mun  and  Kyeng.  Therefore  we  informed  heaven, 
earth,  and  the  royal  spirits  of  our  ancestors,  on  the  i6th  day  of 
this  month,  that  we  are  going  to  reform  our  country  in  the 
same  manner  as  was  done  during  the  Chu  and  Han  dynasties. 
We  have  changed  the  name  of  the  current  year  to  the  first  year 
of  ‘ Kwangmu,’  and  we  have  asked  the  help  and  guidance  of 
heaven  and  the  ancestral  spirits.  In  order  to  be  like  our  royal 
ancestors,  we  hereby  issue  this  new  decree  to  show  that  we  are 
anxious  to  imitate  the  deeds  of  our  forefathers.  Let  this  decree 
be  known  far  and  near. 

“(i)  We  have  amply  gratified  the  desires  of  our  officials  by 
paying  them  sufficient  salaries.  They  must  respond  to  our  kind- 
ness by  being  loyal  to  us  and  just  to  the  people.  They  must 
not  take  bribes,  squeeze  public  money,  or  rob  helpless  citizens. 
From  the  i6th  day  of  this  month,  if  any  official  of  the  Govern- 
ment violates  these  rules  he  will  not  escape  lawful  punishment. 
(2)  The  War  Office  must  grant  substantial  relief  to  the  families 
of  meritorious  soldiers  who  have  rendered  valuable  services  dur- 
ing the  riots  and  disturbances  in  the  interior.  (3)  The  provin- 
cial officials  are  allowed  to  report  the  names  of  the  dutiful  sons 
and  pure-minded  men  in  their  districts  to  the  departments,  and 
the  departments  must  give  them  offices  in  the  Government. 
(4)  It  is  the  law  of  generations  that  murderers  must  be  made  to 
confess  their  crime,  therefore,  hereafter  all  murderers  must  make 
confession  before  being  executed.  (5)  To  reduce  the  sentences 
of  those  prisoners  whose  offenses  are  other  than  conspiracy,  rob- 
bery, murder  and  immorality.  (6)  To  relieve  the  widows  and 
orphans  in  the  interior.  (7)  To  rebuild  temples  and  shrines 


37 

throughdut  the  country  by  the  local  officials.  (8)  To  repair 
roads  and  bridges. 

“Alas,  while  we  endeavor  to  do  our  best  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  matters  enumerated  above,  we  depend  largely  upon 
the  assistance  of  our  officials.  We  hereby  order  every  civil  and 
military  official  in  the  Government  to  offer  his  most  hearty  co-op- 
eration, so  that  we  may  deserve  the  blessings  from  above,  and 
we  will  be  able  to  purify  the  world.  Let  this  be  made  known  to 
all” 

Notwithstanding  this,  there  are  some  good  men  in  office, 
and  the  Korean  people  are  a good  people.  As  a whole,  they 
have  fine  qualities,  and  with  a liberal  and  enlightened  govern- 
ment they  would  develop  into  a useful  and  prosperous  nation. 
At  present,  however,  the  political  conditions  are  reactionary.  A 
misdirected  identification  of  Christianity  with  a liberal  or  pro- 
gressive political  movement,  would  invite  the  disfavor  and  op- 
position of  officials  who  are  now  neutral  if  they  are  not  friendly, 
while  it  would  incur  the  displeasure  of  the  “ neighboring  power,” 
whose  friendship,  the  King  says,  he  has  cultivated,  and  whom  it 
is  unwise  for  any  one  to  affront.  The  reforms  Japan  inaugu- 
rated may  be  undone.  Any  political  reforms  may  be.  Let  us 
with  complete  circumspection  inaugurate  such  spiritual  reforms 
as  can  never  be  undone.  Let  us  avoid  all  implication  with 
political  movements  within  or  without.  Let  us  give  no  offense 
to  any. 

3.  A problem  which  has  been  much  before  the  Mission, 
and  has  received  exhaustive  discussion,  is  the  matter  of  Bible 
translation.  Shortly  after  the  missionaries  reached  Korea  they 
took  up  this  subject,  and  at  a meeting  held  in  Seoul,  February 
7th,  1887,  a Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  was  ap- 
pointed, which  adopted  rules  for  its  guidance,  of  which  the 
following  are  the  more  important  : 

“Art.  II.  This  committee  shall  consist  of  two  members  from 
each  Protestant  Evangelical  Mission  until  such  time  as  six  mis- 
sionary societies  shall  be  represented,  when  one  member  from 
each  society  shall  constitute  the  committee.  The  determination 
of  right  to  membership  lies  with  the  committee  in  behalf  of  the 
Protestant  Evangelical  Missions. 

Art.  VII.  (i)  The  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee 
shall  have  in  charge  the  translation,  revision,  publication  and 
conservation  of  the  text  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  foreign 
tongue. 

(2)  This  committee  shall  have  power  to  select  a board  of  five 
(5)  official  translators.  Should  the  exigencies  of  the  work  seem 
to  require  it,  this  Board  of  Translators  may  be  reduced  by  the 
Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  to  not  less  than  three, 
and  increased  to  not  more  than  seven.  The  Permanent  Execu- 
tive Bible  Committee  shall  have  power  to  declare  and  fill 
vacancies  on  the  Board  of  Official  Translators  only  at  regular 
meetings. 


38 


(3)  When  the  Board  of  Official  Translators  shall  report  that 
any  complete  book  is  ready  for  the  press,  the  Permanent  Exec- 
utive Bible  Committee  shall  publish  a tentative  edition,  and 
shall  circulate  it  among  missionaries  and  others  for  three  years, 
with  requests  for  criticisms. 

Art.  VIII.  When  a manuscript  has  been  duly  passed  and 
published,  and  been  before  the  public  for  criticism  for  three 
years,  then  this  tentative  version  shall  be  taken  with  the  criti- 
cisms received,  and  returned  to  the  Board  of  Official  Translat- 
ors for  revision.  After  said  revision,  the  Permanent  Executive 
Bible  Committee  shall  publish  it  as  the  authorized  version  until 
such  time  as  that  committee  shall  see  fit  to  order  a further  revi- 
sion. Other  societies  or  individuals  wishing  to  use  the  text  of 
the  tentative  or  authorized  version,  changing  term*s  to  suit  their 
special  views,  may  be  so  allowed  at  the  discretion  of  the  Perma- 
nent Executive  Bible  Committee. 

Art.  X.  All  questions  arising  among  the  official  translat- 
ors, as  well  as  the  passing  of  a document,  shall  be  determined 
by  a majority  vote  of  that  body  ; it  being  understood  that  in  a 
board  of  less  than  five,  at  least  three  votes  must  be  cast  in  order 
to  pass  a manuscript. 

Art.  XI.  It  shall  be  required  of  the  Board  of  Official  Trans- 
lators that  they  report  the  state  of  their  work  at  each  regular 
meeting  of  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee,  and 
whenever  called  upon  by  the  secretary  of  that  committee.” 

Thus  far  no  “authorized  version”  of  any  portion  of  the  Bible, 
as  defined  in  Article  VIII.,  has  appeared,  nor  has  any  “ tenta- 
tive version  ” even.  All  that  have  appeared  have  been  prelim- 
inary and  provisional  individual  versions  more  or  less  revised  by 
other  members  of  the  Translating  Board,  but  not  representing  in 
any  case  their  united  judgment.  The  Gospels,  Acts,  Galatians, 
and  James  have  been  issued  in  this  form.  A “ tentative  version  ” 
of  the  first  twenty  chapters  of  Matthew  has  been  completed, 
but  not  published.  Practically  the  whole  of  the  New  Testament 
is  translated  in  some  form  by  individuals,  but  only  the  above 
books  have  been  printed.  Some  wish  to  rush  the  work  of  Bible 
translation.  Others  think  it  will  be  as  safe  to  go  slowly,  as  the 
work  will  all  be  revised  shortly  in  any  event.  There  are  some,  in 
other  Missions,  perhaps,  who  could  facilitate  the  progress  of  the 
work  if  they  could  give  it  time,  and  in  other  regards  more  might 
be  done.  The  following  actions  of  the  mission  meeting  look  in 
this  direction  : 

“ A resolution  was  carried  to  the  effect  that  this  Mission  urge 
the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  to  request  each  Mis- 
sion, having  members  on  the  Board  of  Translators,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible to  release  them  from  other  work,  and  to  appoint  them  to 
give  their  main  time  and  strength  to  this  work 

“ A motion  was  passed  that  we  instruct  our  representatives 
on  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee,  to  request  that 
committee  to  urge  the  Board  of  Translators  to  present  for  print- 


" ^9 

Ing  as  rapidly  as  possible,  individual  translations  of  books  not 
yet  presented 

‘‘A  resolution  was  in  due  course  passed  that  we  reiterate  the 
original  condition  upon  which  we  entered  upon  the  union  trans- 
lation of  the  Bible,  to  the  effect  that  members  of  the  Board  of 
Translators  should  not  at  the  same  time  also  be  members  upon 
the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  ; and  that  we  ear- 
nestly request  such  Missions  as  have  the  same  representatives 
upon  both  these  bodies,  to  take  such  steps  as  are  necessary  to 
conform  to  this  condition. 

“ Also  another  resolution  recommending  to  the  Permanent 
Executive  Bible  Committee  that  Article  II,  of  its  Constitution 
be  amended  by  adding  to  it,  ‘ No  member  of  the  Board  of 
Official  Translators  shall  be  eligible  to  a position  on  the  Per- 
manent Executive  Bible  Committee,  and  when  at  any  time  a 
member  of  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  shall  be 
selected  as  a member  of  the  Board  of  Official  Translators,  his 
position  on  the  Executive  Committee  shall  be  declared  vacant, 
and  the  Mission  he  represents  so  notified  ’ ; further  instructing 
the  secretary  to  convey  copies  of  the  several  resolutions  passed 
at  this  annual  meeting  respecting  Bible  translation  to  the  Mis- 
sions interested,  to  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee, 
and  to  the  Bible  Societies. 

“ Another  motion  was  also  passed  to  the  effect  that  we  ask 
the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  to  take  Article  II. 
of  its  Constitution  into  consideration  with  a view  to  making 
the  basis  of  right  of  membership  on  the  committee  more  ex- 
plicit  

“ A resolution  was  passed  that  we  instruct  our  representatives 
upon  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  to  endeavor  to 
effect  a change  in  the  Constitution  of  that  committee  relating  to 
the  admission  of  representatives  from  other  Mission  bodies  on 
the  held,  so  altering  it  as  to  give  the  respective  societies  a rep- 
resentation as  nearly  as  possible  proportionate  to  their  member- 
ship.” 

The  Bible  should  be  translated  into  Korean  as  fast  as  it  is 
needed,  and  as  it  can  be  well  done.  There  is  general  agreement 
that  Mr.  Ross’s  version  is  not  satisfactory.  This  was  made 
before  Korea  was  opened  to  Mission  work.  It  has  too  much  of 
the  Chinese  element  in  it,  and  many  object  to  its  spelling  and 
printing.  The  time  has  come  for  steady  progress  toward  a 
satisfactory  version.  The  people  are  asking  for  it.  But  there 
appears  to  be  in  the  minds  of  some  a too  feverish  haste,  in 
justihcation  of  which,  however,  it  should  be  said  that  they  feel 
that  the  work  has  been  unnecessarily  delayed.  At  the  same 
time,  the  Mission  force  is  small,  the  demands  of  the  active  evan- 
gelistic work  are  great,  and  there  have  been  many  changes  of 
plan  in  the  work  since  it  was  begun.  The  changes  proposed  by 
the  Mission  would  seem  likely  to  accomplish  all  that  can  well 
be  done  now. 


Most  unfortunately,  there  is  a difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
term  for  God.  The  history  of  the  similar  controversy  in  China 
is  so  sad  that  I marvel  that  the  Korean  missionaries,  who  have 
proven  themselves  so  able  to  profit  by  the  experience  of  others, 
are  starting  out  in  their  own  work,  in  this  regard,  by  sowing  such 
baleful  seed.  The  content  of  the  term  used  must  be  supplied 
by  the  Christian  teachers,  in  any  event,  and  one  term  is  as  good 
as  another,  when  all  must  be  regenerated  and  refilled  with 
meaning.  Or  what  disadvantages  one  term  may  have  as  com- 
pared with  another  are  as  nothing  compared  with  the  disadvan- 
tages of  quarrel  and  conflict  over  this  question.  The  vast 
majority  of  the  missionaries  accept  one  term.  One,  two,  or 
three,  I believe,  hold  to  another,  but  they  are  strong  and  con- 
scientious. Such  a disagreement  now  prepares  for  greater  dis- 
agreement further  on.  It  is  not  necessary  to  know  the  techni- 
cal merits  of  the  controversy,  to  be  able  to  form  a judgment  in 
such  a case.  The  missionaries  ought  to  agree.  If  they  will  not, 
I should  hope  that  the  Boards  and  the  Bible  Societies  would  do 
so.  That  would  probably  settle  the  matter,  though  there  wdll 
be  confusion  for  a time. 

4.  Comity. — Our  Mission  now  occupies  four  stations,  Fusan, 
Gensan,  Seoul,  and  Pyeng  Yang.  The  opening  of  Tagoo  will 
make  five.  Tagoo  and  Fusan  are  in  the  province  of  Kiung 
Song,  the  southeastern  province.  The  only  other  missionaries 
in  that  province  are  the  Australian  Presbyterians,  and  we  have 
a territorial  division  of  the  field  wdth  them,  by  which  the 
two  districts  nearest  Fusan  are  regarded  as  joint  territory, 
and  for  the  rest,  they  take  the  land  south  and  we  the  region 
north  of  the  Naktong  river.  Mr.  Baird  was  the  first  missionary 
to  reside  in  this  province.  Gensan  is  in  the  extreme  northeast- 
ern province  of  Ham  Kiung.  The  Canadian  missionaries  and 
the  Northern  Methodists  are  also  at  work  there,  and  no  territo- 
rial understanding  exists.  Pyeng  Yang  was  visited  by  both 
Methodist  and  Presbyterian  missionaries  in  earlier  years,  and 
has  been  a common  field  from  the  time  of  its  permanent  occu- 
pation. Our  work  and  force  have  greatly  outgrown  the  Meth- 
odists', who  have  worked,  in  the  main,  in  one  direction,  w^est- 
ward  and  southwestward.  As  the  work  grows,  it  is  sure  to 
overlap.  The  Southern  Presbyterians  are  working  in  the  south- 
western province  of  Chulla,  and  the  Baptist  mission  from  Dr. 
Gordon’s  church  in  Boston,  in  the  province  north  of  Chulla, 
Chung  Chong.  The  remaining  provinces  are  the  three  central 
ones:  Kang  Wen,  with  no  missionaries,  and  no  work  in  it ; 
Whang  Hai,  worked  from  Pyeng  Yang  and  Seoul  by  our  mis- 
sionaries, and  our  most  fruitful  field  ; and  the  capital  province, 
Kiung  Kei,  with  our  own  and  the  Northern  and  Southern  Meth- 
odists in  Seoul,  and  the  latter  also  in  Song-do,  a large  city,  two 
days’  journey  to  the  north. 

The  coming  of  the  Southern  Methodists  led  to  some  difficul- 
ties in  country  stations,  which  were  due  to  native  workers  in  the 


first  instance.  These  difficulties  are  regretted,  and  it  is  needles^ 
to  discuss  them,  save  to  say  they  made  it  clear  that  a sharp  terri- 
torial division  between  the  Methodists’  work  and  ours  is  desirable. 
There  is  plenty  of  unoccupied  territory  for  them,  and  they  do 
not  desire  to  encroach  upon  the  fields  of  others.  Dr.  Reid,  the 
senior  member  of  the  Mission,  says  they  would  be  willing  to  stay 
out  of  Whang  Hai  province  and  to  work  east  of  Song-do  and 
north  of  the  Han  River  and  out  into  the  unoccupied  eastern 
province  of  Kang  Wea.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  would  be  a 
good  arrangement,  and  I said  so  to  our  Mission. 

With  this  understanding  made,  we  should  have  territorial 
adjustments  with  all  of  the  Missions,  save  the  Northern 
Methodists.  I sincerely  wish  we  might  have  some  division  of 
the  field  with  them.  If  their  work  in  the  Pyeng  Yang  field  were 
as  much  stronger  than  ours,  as  ours  actually  is  stronger  than 
theirs,  I would  be  in  favor  of  turning  that  field  over  to  them 
while  we  took  Ham  Kiung.  As  it  is,  I believe,  it  would  work 
out  for  the  best  interests  of  the  field  if  the  Methodists  would 
exchange  their  Pyeng  Yang  work  for  our  Gensan  work,  and 
would  remove  from  the  former  field  while  we  withdraw  from  the 
latter.  Their  Pyeng  Yang  church  has  28  members  and  235  pro- 
bationers. Their  Gensan  church  had  four  members  in  May,  and 
215  probationers.  It  has  been  enlarged  since.  Our  Gensan 
church  has  as  many  members  nearly  as  the  Methodist  Pyeng 
Yang  church,  while  our  Pyeng  Yang  church  has  377  members 
and  1723  catechumens  or  probationers.  A division  of  the 
Kiung  Kei  province  could  also  be  made  which  would  recognize 
the  equities  of  either  Mission.  Could  we  not  suggest  such  a 
division  as  this  to  the  Methodist  Board  ? 

These  territorial  partitions  are  better  than  rules  designed  to 
prevent  friction  where  Missions  are  occupying  the  same  ground. 
Still  when  no  division  can  be  secured  such  rules  are  necessary. 
The  following  were  adopted  by  the  Northern  Methodist  and  our 
Missions  in  1893  : 

“ I.  Resolved  that  we  advise  that  as  a general  rule  the  com- 
mon occupation  of  smaller  cities  and  the  districts  around  them, 
is  not  the  most  profitable  way  of  utilizing  our  forces  ; but  that 
open  ports  and  towns  having  a population  of  over  5,000  should 
be  open  for  common  occupation  ; and  especially  so  when  they 
are  needful  bases  for  the  occupation  of  the  regions  beyond. 

2.  When  a town  of  less  than  5 000  inhabitants  has  been 
established  as  a sub-station  by  the  missionary  in  charge  of  the 
district  (a  sub-station  being  understood  to  be  a place  where 
inquirers  or  Christians  regularly  assemble  for  worship  on  the 
Lord’s  Day,  or  a place  visited  not  less  than  four  times  a year, 
two  visits  at  least  to  be  made  by  the  foreign  missionary  in 
person)  it  should  be  considered  as  occupied,  and  we  deem  it 
inadvisable  for  another  Mission  to  begin  work  there  ; but  the 
discontinuance  of  work  for  six  months  shall  leave  it  an  open 
field. 


42 


3-  That  societies  wishing  to  begin  new  work  or  to  extend, 
be  strongly  recommended  to  take  into  consideration  unoccupied 
territory,  so  as  speedily  to  cover  the  whole  field. 

4.  We  recognize  the  inherent  rights  of  every  church-member 
to  transfer  his  membership  to  another  denomination  ; but  per- 
sons whose  names  are  on  the  records  of  a church  as  members  or 
candidates,  shall  not  be  received  by  another  church  without  a 
letter  of  recommendation  from  those  in  charge. 

5.  That  we  mutually  respect  the  acts  of  discipline  of  the 
various  churches. 

6.  Helpers,  students,  teachers  and  assistants  in  any  depart- 
ment of  the  work  shall  not  be  received  in  any  capacity  what- 
ever by  another  Mission  without  the  written  consent  of  the  per- 
son to  whom  they  are  responsible. 

7.  That,  as  a general  rule,  books  should  be  sold  and  not 
given,  and  that  we  should  have  uniformity  of  prices.” 

Bishop  Foster,  I was  told,  who  was  the  visiting  bishop  at 
that  time,  however,  disapproved  of  these  regulations,  not  be- 
lieving in  the  principles  of  comity  which  they  expressed,  and 
so  the  action  of  the  Methodist  Mission  was  nullified.  The  rules 
have  nevertheless  been  the  practical  policy  of  the  Missions 
since. 

A better  plan  than  these  regulations  propose  or  than  terri- 
torial division,  is  to  be  found,  I believe,  in  Church  union.  I wish 
there  could  be  one  Church  of  Christ  in  Korea.  The  Catholics 
and  the  missionaries  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel,  will  not  have  anything  to  do  with  the  Evangelical  mis- 
sionaries, but  the  latter  surely  should  unite,  now,  when  the  ele- 
ments of  the  Korean  Church  are  plastic.  What  are  the  matters 
which  divide  these  new  bodies  of  Christians  in  comparison  with 
their  common  interests  and  beliefs  ? There  is  one  Presbyterian 
church  at  present.  The  Methodist  churches  have  not  united 
yet.  Dr.  Reid  is  opposed  to  union,  such  as  I believe  in.  Such 
opposition  will  probably  make  it  impossible  now,  but  I may  live 
longer  than  Dr.  Reid,  and  shall  see  more  of  the  future,  and  am 
sure  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a bond  of  union  stronger  than  the 
forces  of  separation  which  divide  His  brethren  into  alien  com- 
panies. 

5.  It  is  unnecessary  to  make  any  extended  statement  regard- 
ing the  Mission  properties  in  Korea.  All  the  information  that 
was  gathered  is  available  for  the  Board  when  need  for  it  arises. 
If  the  Boys’  School  buildings  are  sold,  our  original  properties  in 
Seoul  will  be  considerably  diminished,  but  we  have  all  we  need. 
All  of  our  properties  in  Seoul,  Fusan,  and  Gensan  are  secure, 
and  doubtless  the  Pyeng  Yang  properties  also  are,  yet  these 
last  are  not  in  an  open  port.  The  open  port  in  the  north  is  Chik- 
nampo,  and  if  Russia  wished  we  might  possibly  be  molested  in 
Pyeng  Yang.  The  only  piece  of  property  we  have  there  of 
which  the  American  Legation  has  official  cognizance  is  the 
original  house  of  Mr.  Moffett’s.  Our  rights  there  have  really 


43 


been  acknowledged,  however,  as  the  Legation  recovered  pay- 
ment for  damages  done  to  that  house  by  the  Japanese  during 
the  war,  and  from  the  local  magistrate.  The  Korean  Govern- 
ment and  people  have  had  most  friendly  feelings  toward  AiiieHca 
and  Americans,  and  are  not  likely  of  their  own  accord  to  obstrucf 
our  residence  anywhere  in  the  country.  • 

The  Mission  has  wisely  pursued  the  policy  of  laying  the 
responsibility  for  building  churches  and  places  of  worship  upon 
the  people.  Occasionally  they  have  been  given  a little  help,  but 
as  a rule  the  people  have  provided  such  places  themselves.  Both  in 
the  Chang  Dong  church  in  Seoul,  and  at  Pyeng  Yang  need  is 
felt  for  larger  church  buildings  than  it  is  believed  the  people 
can  provide.  At  Pyeng  Yang  it  is  proposed  to  build  one  that 
will  seat,  on  the  floor,  of  course,  fifteen  hundred  people.  In  these 
larger  enterprises  some  of  the  missionaries  believe  help  should 
be  given  on  a larger  scale.  It  may  be  that  for  such  large  build- 
ings timbers  will  be  needed,  which  the  people  could  not  provide. 
They  would  have  to  be  shipped  from  Manchuria,  or  from  the 
extreme  north.  It  seems  to  me,  though,  that  all  which  the  peo- 
ple can  provide  they  should,  so  that  the  churches  may  seem  to 
them  their  own  and  not  the  property  of  foreigners,  even  of  the 
missionaries. 

6.  During  the  past  year  Dr.  Underwood  and  Dr.  Vinton 
have  published  at  no  expense  to  the  Mission  a weekly  paper 
called  J'he  Christian  News^  printed,  of  course,  in  Unmun,  the 
written  vernacular.  This  and  Dr.  Jaisohn's  paper  are  the  only 
publications  of  the  sort  in  Korean.  They  have  had  a great 
influence,  in  quickening  thought,  in  spreading  good  knowledge, 
and  in  showing  the  people  that  their  own  language  was  good, 
that  Chinese  need  not  be  their  master,  and  in  speaking  directly 
to  the  heart  of  the  people.  The  Korean  Government  itself  or- 
dered 467  copies  of  the  Christiaii  News  to  be  sent,  one  to  each  of 
the  367  magistracies  throughout  the  country  and  ten  to  each  of 
the  ten  departments  of  the  central  government,  the  King  himself 
receiving  his  copies.  In  a number  issued  while  we  were  in 
Korea,  the  pictu.^e  of  the  King  was  published  by  his  permission. 

The  paper  has  contained  the  Sunday-school  lesson,  translation 
and  notes,  and  a great  deal  of  useful  information.  Some  of  the 
missionaries  feel  that  Dr.  Underwood  ought  to  give  the  time 
devoted  to  the  paper  to  Bible  translation,  but  he  seems  ready  to 
give  all  the  time  necessary  to  this,  and  do  all  his  other  work 
besides.  While  sympathizing  with  the  desire  to  have  the  Bible 
in  Korean  as  soon  as  it  can  be  well  and  thoroughly  done,  and 
not  believing  that  this  paper  should  absorb  all  of  any  man’s 
time,  it  still  seems  to  me  a very  useful  work.  It  is  an  eight-page 
paper,  one  page  for  contributed  articles,  one  for  farming,  one 
for  arts  and  sciences,  one  for  editorials,  one  for  condensation  of 
the  court  gazette,  one  page  and  two  columns  for  Sunday-school 
lesson,  one  page  and  a little  more  for  church  and  missionary 
news  and  a prayer-meeting  talk.  On  the  last  page  are  foreign 


44 


news  and  advertisements.  One  advertisement  secured  the  sale  of 
fifteen  American  plows. 

7 . With  the  new  missionaries  who  have  been  sent  out,  and  with 
the  return  of  the  old  ones,  Korea’s  stations  will  be  fairly  well 
supplied.  There  is  a possibility  of  developing  a Mission  too 
fast,  as  well  as  too  slowly.  It  seems  to  me  that,  unless  new  sta- 
tions are  opened,  our  medical  force  is  large  enough,  and  that 
some,  at  least,  of  the  new  medical  women  who  have  been  sent 
are  needed  more  in  the  evangelistic  work  than  in  localized  med- 
ical work.  Our  experience  in  Laos  and  elsewhere,  moreover, 
has  shown  the  unwisdom  of  locating  stations  too  near  together; 
and  if  new  stations  are  opened,  it  seems  to  me  that  they  should  be 
in  districts  where  it  is  evidently  unsatisfactory  to  do  the  work 
by  itineration  or  occasional  visitation  and  residence.  Dr.  Nevius 
contended  that  three  stations  were  sufficient  for  our  work  in 
North  China,  Peking,  Chinanfu  and  Chefoo.  That  view  has  not 
prevailed.  But  we  are  in  danger  of  going  to  the  other  extreme, 
and  of  so  multiplying  stations  as  to  waste  Mission  force  by  over- 
lapping spheres  of  influence.  The  unconscious  influence  of  the 
mere  presence  of  a Mission  station  is  powerful,  and  too  near 
proximity  of  stations  is  a profligate  use  of  this  influence  in  lands 
where  so  much  territory  is  yet  unpossessed. 

At  the  same  time  God  is  opening  Korea  now  in  a remarkable 
way.  In  scores  of  villages  the  people  want  teachers  of  Chris- 
tianity. It  is  easy  to  exaggerate  the  spiritual  significance  of 
these  wants  as  the  people  express  them,  but  they  mean  as  much, 
I believe,  as  that  Paris  workingman  meant  who  told  Dr.  McAll 
that  there  were  many  ready  to  hear  a man  who  came  and  spoke 
to  their  real  needs,  and  so  voiced  the  call  which  led  to  the  found- 
ing of  the  McAll  Mission.  I believe  that  it  is  well  within  the 
truth  to  say  that  the  field  is  as  ripe  in  Northern  Korea.  We 
must  not  let  such  great  opportunities  pass  by.  We  could  never 
do  it  and  face  the  Lord  of  the  Harvest.  If  next  year  more  men 
are  needed  we  should  send  more,  who  could,  in  a measure, 
relieve  some  who  know  the  language  and  are  where  the  needs 
are  less  pressing,  that  they,  too,  may  press  into  the  fields  that  are 
white.  The  present  opportunities  must  be  seized  by  men  who 
can  speak.  Our  new  men  can  help  only  by  relieving  such,  and 
by  preparing  for  the  opportunities  for  which  we  hope  several 
years  hence. 

Of  much  of  the  country  we  as  yet  know  little.  Only  the 
extreme  southern  end  of  Ham  Kiung  has  been  traversed,  and 
that  only  in  small  part.  The  north  of  the  province  is  unknown. 
It  should  be  visited.  The  Mission  proposes  to  have  Mr.  Swallen 
make  a full  itinerating  tour.  I approve  of  this  if  it  is  done 
thoroughly.  A mere  coast  journey  or  a short  trip  will  not  suf- 
fice, however.  If  the  Methodists  would  take  this  province  and 
leave  us  Pyeng  Yang,  each  could  be  better  worked.  No  itiner- 
ating trips  have  been  made  as  yet  to  the  extreme  north  of  Pyeng 
Yang,  where  Mr.  Ross  reported  some  years  ago  many  Christians. 


45 


Huichon,  one  of  the  most  important  places  in  the  north,  is  nearer 
to  Pyeng  Yang  than  to  Moukden. 

It  can  scarcely  be  hoped  that  dangers  and  perils  are  not 
approaching  in  this  work  in  Korea.  At  a gathering  of  native 
Christians  we  asked  what  they  thought  the  possible  dangers  to 
the  Church  were,  and  they  answered:  (i)  The  jealousy  of  the 
Confucianists,  as  they  see  the  work  growing  ; (2)  the  stealing  of 
evil  men  into  the  Church  ; (3)  success  and  corruption.  “ We 
shall  need  persecution,”  said  Pong.  “ If  a man  wants  rice,  there 
must  be  hulling  and  beating  before  the  fine  rice  can  be  got,” 
“Then  the  men  of  little  faith  will  dropout  and  become  persecu- 
tors,” added  another.  (4)  The  coming  of  unbelievers  from 
abroad,  who  will  deny  the  truths  of  Christianity  ; (5)  faction 
and  schism  in  the  Church  ; (6)  incoming  of  Western  civilization 
and  the  spirit  of  money-getting.  The  missionaries  have  tried  to 
prepare  the  Christians  for  these  dangers  which  are  before  them. 
The  work  has  been  solidly  done.  Now  when  the  testing  comes 
we  can  only  watch  and  see  how  much  is  chaff  and  dross,  and 
how  much  will  abide  the  trying  of  the  fire. 

Let  us  hope  that  for  many  years  yet  the  work  may  flourish 
prosperously.  It  has  but  just  begun.  There  are  only  hundreds 
of  Christians  now  where  we  must  pray  and  work  for  thousands. 
The  churches  are  small  and  unorganized,  not  ready  for  any  heavy 
ecclesiastical  development.  The  people  are  in  the  early  stages 
of  instruction.  There  will  be  need  for  schools  and  solid  educa- 
tional work.  Let  us  hope  that  the  same  Spirit  who  has  thus  far 
guided  the  Mission  so  wisely,  may  direct  the  Mission  and  the 
Board  in  their  future  conduct  of  their  interesting  work. 


V.  Conclusion. 

This  report  completes  my  reports  to  the  Board  on  the  work  of 
the  past  year.  I am  grateful  to  God  for  the  privilege  of  having 
visited  the  Missions  in  Persia,  China,  Japan  and  Korea,  and  for 
His  loving  goodness  and  care.  It  has  been  a great  blessing  to 
see  the  work  and  to  mark  its  solid  and  enduring  character  ; to 
meet  the  native  Christians  and  to  be  unmistakably  assured  of 
their  genuineness,  earnestness  and  sincerity,  and,  best  of  all,  I 
am  tempted  to  say,  to  associate  with  the  missionaries  in  such 
close  and  intimate  friendship,  to  visit  them  in  their  homes,  to 
accompany  them  on  their  journeys,  to  watch  them  at  their  work. 
In  these  days  when  they  are  so  often  criticized  and  the  spirit  of 
distrust  is  so  prevalent,  I wish  to  bear  unhesitating  and  honest 
testimony  to  their  fidelity,  their  devotion,  their  capacity.  They 
are  worthy,  I will  not  say  of  admiration — for  that,  they  do  not 
care — but  of  confidence  and  love.  There  may  be  exceptions. 
Perhaps  I have  met  a few.  But  I am  not  sure.  I believe  in  our 
missionaries  with  all  my  heart,  and  I trust  them;  and  I believe 
and  trust  more  fully  now  even,  at  the  end  of  this  tour,  than  at  the 


46 


beginning.  And  my  respect  for  their  character  and  ability  has 
been  deepened,  on  the  whole,  by  observation  of  their  work,  their 
practical  wisdom  and  their  results. 

Many  are  saying  in  these  days  that  the  mission  work  needs 
to  be  established  on  new  foundations  ; that  it  must  rest  in  its 
presentation  to  the  Churches  on  new  grounds  of  appeal,  and  that 
in  the  adaptation  and  offer  of  the  Gospel  to  the  nations,  new  state- 
ments and  altered  methods  are  the  requirement  of  the  hour. 
Why  ? Has  a new  Gospel  supplanted  the  old  ? Has  human  nature 
altered?  Do  not  the  old  grounds  of  appeal  still  hold,  that  men 
everywhere  utterly  need  the  Gospel,  and  that  the  Savior  is  the 
Savior  of  the  world  ? Are  not  the  old  methods  of  loving  persua- 
sion, of  Christian  nurture,  of  solid  training,  the  only  satisfactory 
methods  still  ? If  we  are  prepared  to  abandon  our  evangelical 
convictions,  or  to  adopt  views  of  human  nature — what  it  is  and 
what  it  will  do — which  our  own  natures  belie,  we  can  make  rad- 
ical changes  in  our  grounds  of  appeal  and  in  our  methods  of 
work.  Not  otherwise. 

And  yet  I believe  there  is  room  for  improvement.  There  as- 
suredly is  in  the  matter  of  committing  the  home  Church  to  this 
its  chief  work  and  mission.  And  in  our  methods  of  work  on  the 
field  there  is  room  for  a better  balance,  a wiser  adaptation  of 
means  to  end,  a wiser  proportion  of  work.  The  great  difficulty 
is  that  the  home  Church  projects  itself  upon  the  mission  field, 
with  the  ideas  and  methods  adjusted  to  our  advanced  condition, 
while  the  conditions  on  the  mission  field  are  elementary  and 
primitive.  Our  philanthropic,  sociological,  educational  schemes 
are  good  enough  for  our  conditions,  perhaps,  but  what  is  needed 
on  the  mission  field  is  the  simplest  adjustment  of  forces  to  do 
the  simplest  fundamental  work.  Men  and  women  in  primitive 
grades  of  society,  compared  with  ours,  are  to  be  met  and  given 
entrance  to  the  Christian  Church.  It  must  be  in  a form  level 
with  their  needs  and  uses.  It  must  be  their  Church,  not  our 
Church,  which  is  established — a Church  which  can  be  immedi- 
ately theirs,  not  one  for  which,  or  for  the  full  enjoyment  or  admin- 
istration of  which,  they  need  a long  social  or  industrial  prepara- 
tion. To  this  end  educational  and  philanthropic  work  should  be 
ruled  with  clean  and  sharp  aim,  and  held  in  just  limitation.  To 
deem  and  do  as  good  on  the  mission  field,  as  part  of  the  mission 
enterprise,  anything  and  everything  which  is  regarded  as  good 
at  home,  is  wasteful,  and  it  is  not  sensible.  We  are  the  preach- 
ers of  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and,  most  of  all,  of  Christ.  We 
are  the  founders  of  His  Church,  not  in  the  sense  of  its  American 
institutional  development,  but  in  the  sense  of  its  primitive  spir- 
itual simplicity.  Let  us  make  all  our  work  tell  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  these  definite,  elementary,  spiritual  ends.  To  who- 
ever does  this,  all  other  things  will  be  added  in  God’s  time,  which 
is  better  than  man’s  prematureness. 

Yet,  though  the  aim  be  simple — the  planting  of  Christ  Himself, 
not  as  an  idea  or  an  institution,  but  in  His  living  force  of  law 


47 


and  love,  in  Persia,  China,  Korea  and  Japan — the  work  is  com- 
plex and  extensive,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  it  will  always 
appear  to  be  so.  But  its  difficulties  will  be  less  and  its  policies 
will  be  clearer,  as  the  aim  is  kept  well  defined,  as  the  spirit  of 
strength  and  purity,  of  simplicity  and  life  is  recognized  as  fun- 
damental and  essential,  and  as  experience  develops  those  prac- 
tical limitations  of  project  and  method  which  are  set  by  the  spirit 
of  God  in  things  themselves  and  in  the  nature  of  man. 


/ 


'%'t-.*'-'  • t ,.  S f eir 


'■>■'  'V.'>  ilV  ■ ■.',■  <“.■•  ■, 
■’'?  ■ ' - '- kv-  . 

\ //f  V ■■■•’;i'^V  ; : ■ . 

^-.':*.^i^<'‘-‘’-:*^'v/  ■ " 


rcrl:in  Board  cf'  F’orelgn  ML*=:sjon??,’':'^-^H^-':; 


\.i' 
' ' '* 


by 


k'  ^ 


1^/:; 


.rdbfrt 


^ >-■'  ■■';■.  b; 


I,’^'--  '3'  '.  .SLr  -.<  «■  . ^-';c->'  tA-f  -•• 


ti,  '^Zbe  fore’tan  ilnmone^  \ 


Analysis  of  Report. 


I.  — Introduction 3 

II.  — Historical  Sketch 3_io 

1.  Roman  Catholic  Missions 3-5 

2.  Development  of  Protestant  Work 5-7 

(i.)  The  Motives  of  the  Christians 7-10 

(2.)  Is  the  Work  Genuine? 10 

III.  — Methods  and  Policy  of  the  Mission n-35 

1.  The  Native  Church 11-24 

(i.)  Organization 11-14 

(2.)  Requirements  for  Membership 14-19 

(3.)  Care  of  the  Native  Church 19-20 

(4.)  Self-Support 20-24 

2 . Education 24-30 

3.  Medical  Work 30-31 

4.  Woman’s  Work ^ 32-33 

5.  Missionaries 33~35 

IV.  — Problems  and  Dangers 35-50 

1.  Political  Aspects  of  Christianity 35-39 

2.  The  Political  Condition  of  Korea 39-41 

3.  The  Problem  of  Bible  Translation 4^-45 

4.  Comity 45-47 

5.  Property 47“48 

6.  “The  Christian  News” 48-49 

7 . Are  More  Missionaries  Needed  ? 49-50 

V.  — Conclusion 50-52 


I 


I 

i 


i' 


. 


I.  Introduction. 


1 present  herewith  my  report  on  the  work  in  Korea,  where 
Mr.  Grant  raid  I spent  the  month  of  August.  Leaving  Naga- 
saki, Japan,  on  the  evening  of  August  ist,  we  reached  Fusan 
the  next  morning.  From  Fusan  we  went  by  sea  to  Chemulpo, 
and  thence  in  a small  coasting  ship  to  the  Ta  Tong  River,  in 
the  north,  up  which  we  sailed  in  a small  boat  to  Pyeng  Yang. 
After  a week  in  Pyeng  Yang  we  traveled  across  the  country  to 
Seoul,  where  we  attended  the  mission  meeting.  After  ten 
days  there  we  rode  overland,  through  a flooded  country,  from 
Seoul  to  Chemulpo,  whence  we  sailed  for  China  on  September 
2d.  I would  express  to  the  Board  my  appreciation  of  Mr. 
Grant’s  assistance  and  companionship.  We  were  together 
■constantly  for  the  three  months  spent  in  Central  China,  Japan, 
and  Korea,  and  it  is  impossible  to  overstate  the  great  comfort 
and  help  he  ivas  ever  giving  to  us  and  to  the  missionaries. 

IL  Historical  Sketch. 

The  Korea  Mission  is  one  of  the  youngest  Missions  of  the 
Board.  Several  Missions  have  been  organized  since  its  institu- 
tion, but  they  were  in  fields  previously  occupied.  The  Korea 
field  is  the  last  field  entered  by  the  missionaries  of  our  Church. 
Yet  in  none  is  the  work  meeting  with  more  marked  success,  or 
are  the  prospects  for  the  future  more  bright. 

I.  Roman  Catholic  Missions. — Our  first  missionary,  H. 
N.  Allen,  M.  D.,  now  the  Minister  of  the  United  States  to  Ko- 
rea, entered  the  field  in  1884,  and  so  began  resident  Protestant 
mission  work.  The  Rev.  John  Ross,  of  Manchuria,  had  visited 
the  Korean  frontier  in  1873,  and  had  subsequently  translated 
portions  of  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  and  then  the  whole  New  Tes- 
tament, into  Korean,  and  had  even  visited  the  valleys  of  the 
extreme  north  of  the  country,  where  many  were  found  ready  to 
confess  Christ  and  to  receive  baptism. 

Long  before  these  efforts,  however,  the  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries  had  toiled  and  striven,  rejoiced  in  success  and 
gladly  met  martyrdom  among  the  Koreans.  The  Very  Rever- 
end Father  Wallays  says  that  as  early  as  1592,  under  the  great 
general  Hideyoshi, Japanese  Christians  “were  able  to  announce 
the  true  religion  to  their  Korean  prisoners,”  but  the  zeal  of  Fa- 
ther Gregory  de  Cespedes  among  the  people  in  1594  met  with 
no  success.  For  two  centuries  practically  nothing  was  accom- 
plished, although  the  Catholic  priests  in  Peking  are  said  to 


4 


have  taught  from  time  to  time  the  ambassadors  whom  the. 
King  of  Korea  sent  annually  to  take  tribute  to  the  Emperor  of 
China.  Toward  the  close  of  the  last  century,  however,  a group 
of  students,  seeking  enlightenment,  interested  themselves  in. 
Christian  books,  which  had  found  their  way  in  from  China. 
This  led  to  visits  to  the  Catholic  missionaries  in  Peking,  fresh 
supplies  of  books  with  crucifixes  and  images,  and  the  conver- 
sion of  a number  of  men,  who,  in  the  absence  of  any  priest, 
baptized  one  another  and  took  Christian  names  and  soon  or- 
ganized a church,  patterned,  so  far  as  they  knew,  after  the 
Poman  order.  The  movement  spread,  and,  in  spite  of  persecu- 
tion and  the  banishment  or  beheading  of  the  leaders,  num- 
bered, it  is  said,  4,000  Christians  in  1794,  the  year  in  whicH 
Jacques  Tsin,  a Chinese  priest,  reached  Seoul.  The  inhibition 
of  ancestral  worship,  in  1791,  led  first  to  opposition,  and,  on 
the  death  of  the  king,  Chong  Chong,  in  1800,  and  the  acces-sion 
of  the  queen,  a general  royal  edict  against  Christianity  was  is- 
sued,‘‘which  wasto  be  writwith  letters  of  blood  in  the  annals  of.' 
Korea,”  says  Father  Wallays’  chronicle.  A second  edict  fol- 
lowed in  about  a year,  and  the  persecutions  were  severe  but- 
there  seems  to  have  been  heroic  stuff  in  many  of  these  Chris- 
tians, and  they  continued  to  work  and  spread  in  spite  of  the- 
depletion  made  by  oppression  and  apostasy,  and  to  appeal  for 
a foreign  pastor  until  at  last,  Pierre  Philibert  Maubant  arrived 
in  1835.  In  1838  there  were  said  to  be  9,000  Christians.  In 
July  of  the  next  year  a fresh  edict  appeared,  and  the  three 
European  priests  then  in  the  country  were  executed.  In  1845  ’ 
Bishop  Ferreol  reached  Seoul,  and  shortly  after  there  were- 
more  martyrs,  but  11,000  Christians  were  reported  in  1850, 
with  five  young  men  studying  for  the  priesthood.  Five  more 
priests  came  in  1857,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  population  was  ■ 
reckoned  at  16,500.  Long  ere  this,  however,  other  than  spir- 
itual motives  had  stolen  in.  The  persecution  of  1801  was  fed' 
in  part  by  the  queen’s  fear  of  the  nobles  of  the  opposing  party 
in  the  state,  who  had  joined  the  Catholics,  and  later  the  Chris- 
tians deliberately  made  appeals  to  foreign  governments  that 
were  treasonable.  The  political  character  of  the  Church  was 
made  more  pronounced  by  the  great  prestige  Christianity 
gained  through  the  French-English  war  against  China  in  i860. 
It  was  feared  that  the  armies  would  come  to  Korea,  and  “in 
many  instances  people  of  rank  humbly  sought  the  good  favor 
and  protection  of  the  Christians.  Medals,  crosses  and  books 
of  religion  were  bought  in  quantities.  Some  even  publicly 
wore  them  on  their  dress,  hoping  for  safety  when  the  dreaded 
invasion  should  come.”  Four  more  missionaries  came  in 
i86i,  and  there  were  18,000  Christians.  In  1864,  four  more' 


5 


came;  there  were  1,976  baptisms;  a press  was  established  and 
a new  seminary  opened  in  the  mountains ; and  then,  in  1866, 
scores  and  hundreds  were  killed, and  every  priest  was  swept  out 
of  the  land.  Of  four  bishops  and  nineteen  priests,  fourteen 
were  martyrs  and  four  others  died.  The  Tai  Won  Kun,  the 
father  of  the  present  King-,  who  is  still  living,  and  is  an  element 
of  constant  disturbance  in  Korea,  conducted  these  last  and 
most  furious  persecutions,  the  echoes  of  which  did  not  die 
away  until  the  doors  of  the  Hermit  Nation  at  last  opened  to 
foreigners  in  1882.  The  Roman  Catholics  reported  last  year 
28,802  members,  twenty-six  European  priests,  three  native 
priests  and  thirteen  other  native  preachers. 

II.  Development  of  Protestant  Work. — Beginning  silent- 
ly, to  avoid  opposition.  Dr.  Allen  securing  his  safety  by  acting 
as  physician  to  the  American  legation,  our  work  has  grown 
steadily  and  powerfully.  After  eight  years  a second  station 
was  established,  in  1892,  at  Gensan,  on  the  sea-coast,  in  the 
northeast.  In  1893,  the  station  at  Fusan,  on  the  extreme  south- 
ern coast,  was  opened,  and  in  September,  1894,  the  property  at 
Pyeng  Yang,  on  which  our  mission  buildings  at  that  station 
stand,  was  acquired.  Meanwhile,  other  Missions  had  entered 
the  country:  the  Northern  Methodists  in  1885;  the  Canadian 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Mission  in  1889  ; the  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel  in  1890;  the  Australian  Presbyterians  in  1891; 
the  Southern  Presbyterians  in  1892 ; the  Ella  Thing  Memorial, 
a Baptist  Mission,  in  1895 ; and  the  Southern  Methodists  in 
1896.  None  of  these  except  the  Northern  Methodist  and 
the  Southern  Presbyterian,  has  more  than  two  men  connected 
with  it. 

For  some  years  our  work  grew  slowly.  But  it  was  a new 
field,  and,  compared  with  the  growth  in  China,  where  Morrison 
waited  seven  years  for  the  first  convert,  the  progress  was  ex- 
traordinary even  before  the  China-Japan  war.  Since  then,  the 
work  has  advanced  by  leaps  and  bounds.  In  1894,  there  were  . 
141  communicants,  fourteen  only  having  been  added  during 
the  preceding  year.  Then  came  the  furrowing,  renovating  in- 
fluence of  the  war,  and  now,  after  the  most  prosperous  year 
yet  known,  there  are  932  communicants,  2,344  catechumens, 
loi  meeting-places,  and  38  church  buildings,  the  greater  major- 
ity of  which  are  provided  by  tlje  people  with  no  aid  from  the 
mission.  It  would  give  an  incorrect  idea  to  say  that  there  are 
53  native  teachers,  for  almost  all  the  Christians  have  been 
trained  to  regard  each  disciple  of  Christ  as  of  necessity  a 
worker  for  Christ  and  for  men.  The  reports  of  the  mission- 
aries presented  at  the  annual  meeting  set  forth  in  fulness  of 
detail  the  wonderful  work  that  is  under  way.  These  reports,. 


6 


submitted  herewith,  need  not  be  summarized  here.  Of  Dr. 
Underwood’s,  Dr.  Reid,  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Mission, 
said  that  in  twenty  years’  experience  in  China  he  had  never 
heard  such  a thrilling  and  exhilarating  report,  and  having  been 
with  Dr.  Underwood  on  one  long  tour  he  could  vouch  that  it 
was  well  within  the  actual  truth.  Christianity  has  evidently 
laid  powerful  hold  upon  the  country.  Instead  of  being  called 
“devil,”  as  missionaries  and  all  foreigners  are  in  interior  China, 
the  Koreans  use  to  the  missionaries  words  of  the  highest  re- 
spect, and  their  bearing  in  the  country  leaves  nothing  to  be 
asked  in  the  way  of  kindness  and  courtesy.  Christians  are 
viewed  with  remarkable  confidence  and  regard,  instead  of  with 
distrust  and  hate.  Even  in  the  south,  where  the  direct  results 
have  been  scanty,  this  change  has  been  marked.  “Six  years 
ago,”  one  of  the  native  Christians  at  Fusan  told  us,  “I  came 
down  through  this  province  of  Kiung  Sang  with  Dr.  Hardie. 
We  could  not  get  meals  at  the  inns,  and  when  we  preached 
we  met  a perfect  storm  of  derision.  Now,  we  can  get  into  the 
inns  anywhere,  and  derision  has  almost  wholly  disap- 
peared.” In  the  north  the  Church  has  spread  and  penetrated, 
as  we  saw  nothing  to  surpass  anywhere  else  in  the  world.  We 
visited  one  day  a large  and  well-furnished  temple  of  the  Chin- 
ese god  of  war,  in  the  city  of  Pyeng  Yang.  The  gates  were 
closed  and  locked,  and  the  pavements  were  overgrown  with 
grass.  At  last  a keeper  who  said  he  was  there  only  because 
it  was  a cheap  place  to  lodge,  let  us  in  and  showed  us  the  for- 
saken shrines  and  the  unworshiped  gods.  “Why  is  this?”  we 
inquired.  “Where  are  the  worshipers?”  “Oh,”  said  the  man, 
“there  are  so  many  people  who  believe  in  this  Jesus  doctrine 
that  no  one  comes  here  any  more.”  On  the  highways  we  met 
men  discussing  Christianity.  The  sorcerers  and  devil-priest- 
esses are  losing  trade  and  standing,  and  I might  multiply  evi- 
dence beyond  that  furnished  in  the  reports  of  the  missionaries 
to  show  that  the  Gospel  is  powerfully  influencing  the  sensi- 
bilities of  the  people.  I may  quote  only  a portion  of  a proc- 
lamation recently  issued  by  the  governor  of  the  province  of 
Whang  Hai:  “Our  school  was  handed  down  to  us  by  the  sages 
of  old  days,  whose  teachings  and  doctrines  are  forever  un- 
changeable. But  of  late  the  foreign  religion  came  into  the 
country ; the  foolish  novelty-seekers  have  fallen  into  the  for- 
eign teaching,  and  they  are  unwilling  to  study  and  observe  our 
own  religion.  Is  this  not  a danger  to  our  doctrine?  I have  heard 
a European  say  that  if  one  country  adopts  the  religion  of  an- 
other the  country  will  surely  be  destroyed.  I believe  it  to  be 
true.  Even  foreigners  entertain  such  a belief  and  give  us  the 
hint,  and  we,  the  disciples  of  the  saintly  sages,  must  not  be 


7 


enticed  into  foreign  teachings  which  destroy  our  venerable 
customs  and  institutions.  I desire  our  Confucian  followers  to 
be  more  diligent  in  studying  the  classics,  making  it  their  true 
religion. and  to  regard  the  new  teaching  as  superficial  doctrines. 
Thus  they  will  all  become  useful  vessels  of  the  state  and  ac- 
cumulate great  fortunes  for  the  people.”  That  a provincial 
governor  should  be  so  solicitous  is  a good  indication  of  the 
way  Christianity  is  spreading.  The  churches  are  crowded. 
Wherever  the  missionaries  go  they  are  welcomed  and  listened 
to.  The  opportunities  are  unlimited.  It  is  true  that  in  the 
northeast  and  southeast  provinces,  Ham  Kiung  and  Kiung 
vSong,  the  baptisms  have  been  few,  but  the  doors  are  as  open 
as  in  the  west  and  north.  A whole  nation  is  as  ripe  for  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  as  any  nation  could  be. 

(i)  The  Motives  of  the  Christians. — Less  than  half  a gen- 
eration ago  Korea  was  sealed  against  all  missionary  work  and 
foreign  intercourse.  And  now  the  Christians  are  numbered  by 
the  thousand ; thousands  now  are  ready  to  hear.  The  whole 
land  is  open.  What  are  the  reasons  for  this  remarkable 
change  and  for  such  an  unusual  movement?  Through  what 
proximate  and  secondary  causes  has  the  great  cause  of  the 
Divine  will  been  working?  A just  answer  would  be  threefold: 
(a)  Japan’s  victory  over  China  made  a profound  impression 
upon  Korea.  For  twenty  centuries  Korea  had  been  a vassal 
state  of  the  latter.  Its  government  was  modeled  after  that  of 
the  Ming  dynasty  in  China.  Its  literature  and  philosophy 
were  Chinese  and  Confucian.  It  had  ever  viewed  with  awe 
its  great  and  invincible  patron  empire.  That  little  Japan 
should  conquer  this  mighty  antagonist  with  arts  and  weap- 
ons which  she  made  everyone  understand  were  borrowed  from 
Western  civilization  gave  the  Koreans  a deep  respect  for  the 
West.  They  were  ready  to  believe  that  the  religion  of  the 
West  must  be  superior.  Also  they  learned  of  the  enormous 
political  power  of  Western  nations,  and  many  were  anxious 
to  be  on  friendlv  terms  with  the  representatives  of  these  na- 
tions, as  the  people  had  been  glad  in  i86i  to  wear  crucifixes 
and  images  to  indicate  their  sym.pathy  with  the  Catholics.  In 
the  hope  of  assistance  in  lawsuits,  or  securing  justice,  or  pro- 
tection from  oppression,  or  collecting  debts,  some  turned 
to  the  missionaries.  It  should  be  said  that  the  mis- 
sionaries have  from  the  beginning  resolutely  antagonized 
all  such  ideas  and  that  the  people  have  discovered  this, 
and  also  that  scores  who  have  been  attracted  in  the  first  in- 
stance by  some  such  motives  have  almost  at  once  been  lifted 
out  of  this  low  sphere  and  have  passed  on  into  the  Church  un- 
der high  and  genuine  motives.  But  the  war  and  its  political 


8 


influences  set  men  thinking  and  disposed  them  favorably  to 
Christianity.  Because  of  the  war  and  the  advent  of  Western 
ideas  the  squeezing  of  the  officials  stopped,  taxes  were  levied 
equitably,  justice  became  less  a stranger  in  the  land.  “I  will 
illustrate  it  by  a parable,”  said  one  native  to  us.  “Before  the 
war  it  was  as  if  out  in  the  sea  a big  fish  was  eating  up  all 
the  little  ones.  Now  the  big  fish  has  stopped.”  .Besides  all 
this  the  war  demoralized  the  spirit  worshipers.  It  killed  the 
worship  of  the  Chinese  gods ; the  people  had  seen  their  incom- 
petence publicly  demonstrated.  And  it  cut  away  some  of  the 
few  remaining  props  of  Buddhism. 

(b)  In  the  second  place  the  people  felt  in  many  districts 
that  they  had  reached  the  bottom  of  misery.  Justice  as  ad- 
ministeied  in  their  jails  or  magisterial  yamens,  for  they  had  no 
courts,  was  a travesty.  Punishment  was  torture.  One  of  the 
saddest  and  most  heart-sickening  sights  I ever  saw  in  the 
Pyeng  Yang  prison,  where  a score  of  beaten,  festering  prison- 
ers sat  on  the  ground  with  the  prison  gate  wide  open  before 
them  and  only  turned  vacant  eyes  at  it  and  at  us,  out  of  the 
depths  of  their  weakness  and  agony.  Poverty  was  added  to 
oppression,  and  feeling  that  nothing  could  bring  them  into  a 
worse  condition,  many  were  ready  to  welcome  Christianity  as 
something  which  might  haA^e  good  in  it.  Dissatisfaction  with 
the  old  life,  its  failures,  miseries,  disaffections,  was  wide- 
spread, and  prepared  the  way  for  the  Gospel.  “I  explain  the 
movement  toward  Christianity  on  two  grounds,”  said  one  of 
the  native  leaders  at  Pyeng  Yang.  “First,  the  grace  of  God. 
Secondly,  the  people  here  have  never  desired  to  be  yai^g  bans. 
They  have  been  looked  down  on  as  low  people  by  the  Seoul 
official  class.  They  were  ill-used  by  the  officials  sent  up  here. 
They  had  nothing  to  trust  in,  and  when  the  Gospel  came  they 
accepted  that  as  a hope  and  support.  I do  not  know  what  the  fu- 
ture will  be.  Many  are  honest  and  will  endure.  Many  who 
do  not  fully  believe  will  leave.  These  are  the  men  who  do 
not  study.  There  are  men  who  have  believed  for  the  bene- 
fit they  could  get  from  it,  thinking  that  the  Jesus  Church  had 
power  of  which  thev  could  make  use.  Others  think  that  be- 
ing low  men  they  will  get  upon  a higher  social  plane  by  com- 
ing in.  Many  outsiders  think  it  is  a good  thing  and  all  right. 
Few  hate  it  now.  Before  the  w^ar  men  reviled  me.  Now'  they 
commend  my  preaching.  Why?  They  have  seen  the  good  lives 
and  acts  of  the  Christians.  The  people  have  seen  drunkards  and 
whoremongers  reformed,  and  wonder  at  it.  When  a man  be- 
comes a Christian,  the  people  see  that  all  the  other 
Christians  treat  the  new  convert  sociably  and  as  an 
equal,  that  the  Christians  love  one  another,  and  that 


9 


they  are  constantly  learning  things  and  studying  and 
^growing  in  character  and  intelligence.”  These  last 
words  describing  the  Church  are  true,  and  such  a Church  nat- 
urally attracts  others.  They  want  to  belong  to  such  a society. 
They  have  never  known  what  it  was  to  trust  a fellow-man.  Mu- 
tual confidence  among  men  has  not  existed  in  Korea.  Its  pres- 
ence among  the  Christians  has  been  a powerful  attraction. 
Morever,  the  barrenness  of  mind  and  spirit  of  the  people  made 
the  definite,  strong,  novel,  vital  message  of  Christianity  ex- 
ceedingly effective.  Nona  of  the  other  forces  of  civilization,  its 
industrialism,  its  commercialism,  its  rationalism,  its  secularism, 
has  touched  the  people  yet.  As  in  Japan,  Christianity  was  first 
and  with  a free  field.  As  in  the  early  days  in  Japan,  also,  the 
missionaries  have  gained  a position  of  supreme  dignity  and 
influence.  They  are  called  by  the  Christians  by  a title  of  af- 
fection and  honor,  “moksa,”  the  word  for  shepherd,  and  also 
for  men  of  a certain  high  rank.  The  Christians  treat  the  mis- 
sionaries with  a delightful  respect  mingled  with  genuine  love. 
The  outside  people  also  since  the  war  are  most  courteous,  even 
stopping  bullock  carts  in  a muddy  street  so  as  not  to  splash 
them.  So  high  was  their  standing,  and  so  great  the  confidence 
in  them,  that  the  price  of  rice  in  the  Pyeng  Yang  market  rose 
and  fell  with  their  movements  after  the  war.  Mr.  Noble  told 
me  that  some  of  the  people  even  said  that  the  title  “moksa”  was 
given  to  them  because  they  held  rank  from  the  king.  One 
other  fact  that  has  contributed  to  the  growth  of  the  Church 
has  been  the  absence  of  anything  like  association  or  organiza- 
tion among  the  Koreans.  Universal  distrust  made.it  impossi- 
ble. The  little  Christian  churches  show  the  people  the  pos- 
sibility of  union,  and  such  love  as  welded  the  early  Christians 
together  has  an  irresistible  attraction  shown  forth  thus  in  Ko- 
rea. 

(c)  Back  of  both  these  sets  of  motives,  however,  there 
is  real  ground  for  believing  that  there  is  a genuine  spiritual 
movement.  The  ideas  of  sin  and  of  salvation  through  Christ 
seem  to  be  the  dominant  ideas  of  the  native  Christians.  Scores 
‘Of  them  at  once  explained  their  spiritual  experiences  to  me  in 
these  terms.  To  the  question.  Why  did  you  accept  Chris- 
tianity? almost  the  invariable  answers  were,  “Because  of  my 
sins;”  “Jesus  as  Son  of  God  could  alone  deliver  me  from  sin 
and  hell ;”  “Christ  is  the  only  one  to  be  depended  upon;” 
“Our  minds  were  weak,  and  when  we  read  the  commands  of 
God  we  were  anxious,  for  we  were  not  able  to  meet  them.  In 
Jesus  we  feel  secure.”  Many  of  these  men  are  reading  into 
their  acceptance  of  Christianity  much  that  they  learned  after- 
ward. The  sense  of  sin  might  be  stronger,  but  there  appears 


lO 


to  be  more  of  it  than  is  common  among-  new  Christians,  and 
much  of  it  reminds  one  of  the  revivals  among  the  Nestorians- 
in  the  days  of  Fidelia  Fiske.  The  simple  doctrines  of  the  old 
Gospel  have  been  preached  by  the  missionaries  without  ceasing 
or  uncertainty.  They  have  striven  to  make  one  definite  im- 
pression that  they  were  charged  with  the  message  of  salvation 
from  God,  and  the  old  truths  of  grace  and  need  have  been  kept 
foremost.  The  old  religion  of  Korea  had  nothing  with  which 
to  satisfy  those  longings  of  the  human  spirit  to  which  the  Gos- 
pel is  addressed.  The  spiritual  glory  was  gone  from  Bud- 
dhism, which  was  of  slight  influence,  and  whose  esoteric  cults 
only  mocked  all  honest  hearts.  The  popular  worship  was  of 
the  spirits,  a form  of  sorcery,  and  it  only  fed  the  fear  it  was  de- 
signed to  allay,  and  provided  for  no  forgiveness  or  fellowship. 
The  tonic,  vertebrate  message  of  Christianity  stirs  some  true 
spiritual  response  among  such  people. 

(2)  Are  this  response  and  the  work  that  has  grown  out  of 
it  genuine?  Or  will  the  bottom  fall  out?  Or  if  not  that,  will  the 
novelty  wear  off  and  the  work  drop  down  to  the  sober  patient 
pace  of  most  other  fields?  Whether  it  will  or  not,  I firmly  be- 
lieve in  the  genuineness  of  this  present  work.  Instances  of  in- 
dividual conversion  which  are  as  thorough  and  satisfactory  as 
any  that  are  seen  in  America  warm  church  life  full  of 
brotherly  trust  and  co-operation,  exConfucianists  weep- 
ing over  their  sins  and  crying  in  their  prayers,  giving 
without  urging  and  in  full  measure,  and  preferring" 
this  to  any  mission  aid,  such  activity  in  personal 
work,  and  such  desire  for  souls  as  are  not  common  at 
home,  men  and  women  saved  from  adultery,  drunkenness,  and 
gross  sin,  and  made  clean  and  pure,  a fervent  love  of  the  Bible, 
and  a keen  desire  for  more  teaching, — Mr.  Grant  and  I saw 
enough  of  all  this  to  satisfy  us,  even  making  allowance  for  all 
merely  superficial  and  imitative  experience,  that  this  work  is 
true.  Such  fresh  origanility  of  spiritual  ideas,  and  such  novelty 
of  greeting  and  conversation,  we  had  not  elsewhere  met.  It 
was  a constant  blessing  to  us,  like  real  contact  with  the  fresh 
life  of  the  early  Christians  ; and  when  forty  or  fifty  of  the  Pyeng 
Yang  people  walked  five  miles  out  with  us  in  the  rain  as  we 
started  for  Seoul,  and  held  a little  farewell  meeting  with  us  at 
a thatch-covered  wayside  church,  and  then  called  out  love 
and  prayers  after  us  until  a turn  in  the  road  hid  them  from 
sight,  we  were  taken  back  to  scenes  in  the  Book  of  Acts  not 
more  real  or  more  full  of  sincerity  and  truth.  I believe  these 
Koreans  are  as  good  Christians  as  the  Corinthians,  or  Ga- 
latians, or  Ephesians  were. 


IIL  Methods  and  Policy  of  the  Mission. 

The  methods  which  have  been  pursued  by  the  missionaries 
in  their  work  seem  to  me  eminently  wise.  I believe  they  have 
in  large  measure  found,  as  they  have  from  the  outset  earnestly 
sought,  the  right  principle  upon  which  to  establish  their  work. 
How  large  a part  Dr.  Nevius  had  in  shaping  these  methods,  it 
is  impossible  to  say;  but  it  was  not  insignificant.  In  Mrs. 
Nevius’s  life  of  her  husband  is  an  account  of  their  visit  to  Ko- 
rea in  1890:  “Writing  from  Japan  a few  weeks  later,  he  saidL 
‘We  had  a delightful  visit  in  Korea;  and  if  the  missionaries 
there  were  not  benefited  by  our  sojourn  with  them,  it  was  not 
because  they  were  not  more  than  willing  to  profit  by  our  sug- 
gestions and  advice.’  Indeed,  it  was  touching  to  see  how  the 
young  missionaries  clustered  around  him  as  around  a father, 
with  aflection  and  deference,  asking  his  advice  on  many  ques- 
tions. Evening  after  evening  was  spent  in  this  way,  he  mak- 
ing a careful  study  of  the  present  conditions  and  wants  of  that 
newly-opened  country,  and  the  missionaries  ready  to  carry  in- 
to immediate  execution  suggestions  and  advice  which  com- 
manded their  approval.”  Dr.  Nevius’s  “Methods  of  Mission 
Work”  constitutes  part  of  the  required  course  of  study  pre- 
scribed for  new  missionaries,  and  those  methods  are  ingrained 
into  the  policy  of  the  Mission.  From  other  sources  also  the 
Korean  missionaries  have  sought  light,  desiring  to  avoid  mak- 
ing mistakes  that  had  been  made  elsewhere.  The  labor  to 
which  they  were  put  in  this  effort  and  their  uncertainty  might 
have  been  in  large  measure  saved  if  there  had  been  available  for 
them,  as  I believe  there  should  now  be,  a manual  of  missionary 
policy.  Has  not  the  time  come  for  such  a manual?  After  two 
generations  of  separate  experience,  preceded  by  one  genera- 
tion under  the  American  Board,  are  we  not  prepared  to  formu- 
late those  principles  of  administration  and  policy  in  which  we 
believe?  The  Missions  would  welcome  such  a manual.  The 
work  needs  it. 

I.  The  Native  Church. — To  establish  this,  full  of  life  and 
activity,  is  the  aim  of  the  Mission.  Under  this  title  most  of  the- 
features  of  the  Mission’s  poliev  may  be  discussed. 

(i)  Organization. — Although  there  are  ten  or  more 
churches,  there  is  yet  no  Presbytery.  The  missionaries  have 
been  well  aware  of  the  dangers  of  prematurely  organizing  such 
a body,  and  have  preferred  to  wait  until  they  had  the  materials 
for  it, and  it  could  corneas  the  needed  development  of  a Church 
whose  life  required  it.  Meanwhile,  a device  is  in  operation 
which  has  worked  well  thus  far.  In  1889  steps  were  taken  ta 
organize  all  the  Presbyterian  missionaries  in  Korea  into  one 


12 


•council  having  many  of  the  functions  of  the  Missions,  leaving 
practically  only  the  control  of  finances  to  each  separate  Pres- 
byterian Mission.  This  plan  never  went  further  than  an  initial 
stage.  But  in  1893  a Council  was  finally  organized  by  the 
-following  action,  recorded  in  the  Council  minutes  October  24, 
1893:  “We  hereby  constitute  ourselves  the  Council  of  the  Mis- 
sions in  Korea  holding  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government, 
to  have  advisory  powers  and  such  powers  as  may  be  delegated 
to  it  by  the  Missions  represented ; said  Council  shall  consist  of 
■ all  such  mem.bers  of  the  Missions  represented.”  Of  this  Coun- 
cil our  own,  the  Southern  Presbyterian,  the  x\ustralian  Pres- 
byterian, and  any  Canadian  Presbyterian  missionaries  are 
members.  It  really  takes  cognizance  only  of  the  ecclesiastical 
questions,  and  is  the  seat  of  ecclesiastical  authority,  all  other 
questions  remaining  in  the  hands  of  the  Missions.  How  this 
ecclesiastical  authority  is  exercised  is  explained  by  Article 
XVI.  of  the  By-Laws  of  the  Korea  Mission:  “Until  its  or- 

.ganization  in  accordance  with  Presbyterian  usage,  the  native 
Church 'shall  be  administered  by  the  Council  of  the  Missions 
in  Korea  holding  Presbyterian  form  of  government;  through  a 
session  of  five  members,  to  be  elected  annually.  All  candidates 
shall  be  examined  by  the  session,  or  by  some  one  empowered 
by  it ; and  no  baptism,  shall  be  administered  except  by  its 
•sanction.  When  deemed  expedient,  a similar  session  may  be 
created  by  the  Council  in  any  other  place.  It  shall  be  under- 
stood by  the  Mission  that  to  this  session  are  delegated  the 
powers  of  a church  session  only.  Additional  powers  may  be, 
from  time  to  time,  specifically  delegated  to  it  by  the  Council 
'On  recommendation  of  a Mission.”  This  Council  has  dis- 
cussed such  subjects  as  education,  but  it  has  legislated  only 
on  such  matters  as  church  discipline,  terms  of  entrance, 
polygamous  applicants  for  baptism,  proposed  ordination  of 
^elders,  etc. 

In  the  practice  of  the  ]\Iissions  thus  far  the  following  prin- 
ciples have  prevailed:  (a)  That  ecclesiastical  and  administrative 

responsibility  should  not  be  laid  upon  the  people  until  men  tru- 
ly qualified  to  discharge  such  responsibility  have  been  raised 
up,  and  the  spiritual  state  of  the  Christians  warrants  and  invites 
it ; (b)  that  all  Christians,  from  the  outset,  should  be  charged 
with  those  practical  responsibilities  which  are  necessary  to 
their  growth  in  grace  and  character  and  the  just  discharge  of 
their  duties  as  disciplers,  as  well  as  disciples,  that  they  should 
be  personal  workers,  be  trained  in  worship  and  activity,  and 
develop  all  their  ovm  gifts  ;Ic'l  that  the  authority  of  the  mission- 
ary should  be  a spiritual  authority,  and  that  he  should  retain 
the  formal  ecclesiastical  responsibilities  until  there  is  a native 


13 


Church  and  there  are  native  elders  or  ministers  to  whom  they 
can  be  transferred;  (d)  that  it  is  best  to  move  slowly  in  the  full 
ordination  of  elders  and  organization  of  churches.  There  are 
as  yet  no  ordained  ministers.  Some  elders  were  ordained  in 
the  early  stage  of  the  work,  before  the  Mission  had  learned  to 
be  cautious,  but  the  result  was  unsatisfactory,  and  there  are,  I 
believe,  none  now ; (e)  that  meanwhile  the  groups  of  Chris- 
tians be  developed  in  the  simplest  and  most  ef¥ective  way,  all 
being  expected  to  work  and  to  advance,  and  those  men  being 
selected  and  appointed  as  leaders  who  are  likely  to  grow  into 
suitable  candidates  for  the  eldership. 

The  following  quotations  from  the  By-Laws  and  Rules  of 
the  Mission  will  illustrate  these  principles:  Section  A,  Article  V 
— “Each  sub-station  shall  have,  if  possible,  a leader  or  leaders, 
either  selected  by  the  people  or  appointed  by  the  missionary  in 
charge,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  take  charge  of  the  Sabbath 
service  in  the  absence  of  the  helper  or  other  person  appointed 
for  that  purpose.  Except  in  special  cases,  leaders  shall  receive 
no  salaries  from  the  Mission  funds.’’  Article  IX — “It  shall  be 
the  aim  of  the  mission,  when  practicable,  to  provide  a full 
church  organization  at  each  sub-station,  and  even  before  this 
shall  have  been  accomplished,  to  supply  the  preaching^  of  the 
Gospel  by  a competent  person  at  stated  intervals.”  Article  X — 
“On  Sundays  when  there  is  no  regular  preaching  at  a sub- 
station, the  local  leader  or  elder  shall  conduct,  or  invite  some 
competent  person  to  conduct,  an  orderly  service  of  worship, 
consisting  of  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  prayer,  giving 
an  opportunity  for  short  exhortations,  and  especially  giving 
careful  attention  to  teaching  the  people  the  Scripture  lessons 
previously  assigned  by  the  missionaries  in  charge.”  Section  B, 
Article  IV — “Elders  and  deacons  are  officers  of  the  church,  as 
laid  down  in  the  Scriptures  and  defined  in  the  Presbyterian 
Form  of  Government.  They  shall  be  ordained  only  after  nom- 
ination by  the  session  of  the  Council,  election  by  the  church, 
and  subsequent  instruction  as  to  the  duties  of  the  office  for  at 
least  six  months.” 

This  caution  in  ordaining  men  and  in  establishing  a native 
ecclesiastical  body,  like  a Presbytery,  lessens  and  postpones 
certain  dangers,  but  it  does  not  wholly  avert  them.  The  times 
of  delicacy  will  arise  when  natives  are  ordained  and  ecclesiasti- 
cal authority  passes  into  their  hands.  The  educadon  through 
which  the  native  Church  will  have  passed  will  fit  it  for  that 
day,  it  may  be  hoped ; and  meanwhile  I believe  in  the  policy  of 
doing  what  I have  advocated  in  preceding  reports,  namely, 
committing  to  Mission  and  native  Church  organization  the 
functions  which  properly  belong  to  each,  and  not  confusing 


14 


these  by  charging  the  Mission  with  the  functions  of  the  native 
Church,  or  laying  on  the  latter  the  functions  of  the  former. 

The  Mission  has  recognized  the  necessity  of  encouraging 
aspiration  and  growth  by  not  hurrying  the  native  Christians 
through  to  the  final  stages  of  church  organization  at  the  outset.. 
With  people  who  have  had  the  training  through  which  native 
converts  have  passed,  it  is  hard  to  keep  the  spiritual  idea  up- 
permost. The  physical  act  of  baptism  is  invested  with  mysteri- 
ous power  by  them.  The  Lord’s  Supper  becomes  of  itself  a 
pledge  of  salvation.  The  proper  church  organization,  once 
established,  is  the  attainment  of  the  goal  to  many  of  them. 
Authentic  admission  to  this  and  participation  in  the  holy  rites 
which  mark  entrance  to  it  are  all  that  are  needed,  and  growth 
and  progress  stop.  Instead  of  setting  all  of  these  up  at  once^ 
before  they  are  appreciated,  and  in  such  a way  as  to  leave  no 
room  for  encouraging  inner  progress  by  enlarged  bestowal  of 
outer  symbols  and  institutions,  the  Mission  has  wisely  pursued 
the  policy  of  beginning  most  simply  and  informally,  with  all 
the  emphasis  on  real  life  and  intelligence,  meeting  these  as 
they  grow  with  appropriate  advance  toward  full  organization. 

(2)  Requirements  for  Membership. — .So  strongly  is  the  truth 
of  these  last  observations  felt  bv  some  that  they  distinguish  be- 
tween the  baptism  of  the  convert  and  his  admission  to  the 
Lord’s  Supper,  administering  the  former  on  simple  profession 
of  faith,  but  exacting  more  rigorous  requirements  in  connec- 
tion with  the  latter,  and  holding  out  the  significance  of  the  lat- 
ter and  the  partial  character  of  the  former  to  encourage  the 
convert  to  go  on  in  his  Christian  life  and  not  to  stop  with 
conscience  satisfied  by  the  receiving  of  baptism  alone.  There 
are  many  objections  to  this  course,  the  chief  one  being  that  we 
have  no  Scriptural  or  reasonable  right  to  deny  one  of  these  or- 
dinances to  a man  to  whom  we  allow  the  other.  If  he  is  truly 
enough  Christ’s  disciple  to  be  baptized  into  His  body,  he  is 
entitled  also  to  partake  of  that  body  provided  for  him.  The 
end  held  in  view  in  the  proposed  discrimination  is  a good  one. 
but  it  can  be  secured  without  cheapening  baptism  or  drawing 
an  imaginary  line  between  it  as  an  individual  ordinance,  the 
right  of  the  convert  upon  profession  of  faith,  and  the  Lord’s 
Supper,  as  a social  ordinance,  to  which  the  convert  can  only 
be  received  by  a vote  of  a body  of  believers  who  are  prepared 
to  take  him  into  their  fellowship. 

Our  Mission  provides  for  the  double  stage  which  almost 
all  feel  to  be  necessary,  by  the  provision  for  a catechumenate 
preparatory  to  baptism  and  full  communion.  Theoretically 
those  are  to  be  admitted  as  catechumens  who  know  and  re- 
pent of  their  sins,  who  believe  in  Christ  as  their  Savior,  and 


15 


who  before  the  congregation  will  rise  and  answer  certain  ques- 
tions regarding  their  lives.  After  six  months'  probation  as 
catechumens,  accompanied  by  instruction,  the  candidates  are 
re-examined  by  the  missionary  or  missionaries  and  native 
leaders,  and  either  admitted,  continued,  or  dropped.  In  the 
present  stage  of  the  work  there  can  be  no  baptisms  without  di- 
rect missionary  action.  There  are  no  natives  who  have  au- 
thority, and  the  Mission  rules  guard  the  administration  of  bap- 
tism even  by  the  missionaries,  who,  while  charged  with  the 
duty  of  administering  discipline,  examining  and  passing  candi- 
dates, are  also  enjoined  “to  report  the  same  to  church  or  mis- 
sionary court  having  jurisdiction  over  the  territory  in  which 
the  sub-station  is  and  who  shall  take  the  necessary  steps  toward 
the  admission  of  the  candidates,  if  in  their  judgment  it  is  wise 
and  timely." 

The  examinations  at  the  admission  of  candidates  to  the 
catechumenate  vary  in  care  and  thoroughness.  Often  these  are 
hasty,  and  of  groups  rather  than  individuals,  especially  where 
the  work  has  grown  as  rapidly  as  it  has  in  the  north.  But  an 
examination  at  which  I was  present  in  Pyeng  Yang,  and  which 
Mr.  Lee  and  some  of  the  native  leaders  conducted,  showed  how 
thorough  is  the  work  which  the  missionaries  are  trying  to  do. 
The  examinations  of  catechumens  who  desire  baptism  are,  of 
course,  yet  more  searching.  This  one  from  Pyeng  Yang  will 
serve  as  an  illustration.  Many  of  the  questions  were  put  to  the 
catechumen,  whose  name  was  Yen,  by  the  native  leaders  them- 
selves: “Why  have  you  a mind  to  be  baptized?"  The  candidate, 
who  was  evidently  under  some  feeling,  replied,  “Formerly  I 
did  not  know  Christ;  now  I believe  in  Him."  “Why?"  “On 
account  of  my  many  sins.  I have  sinned  much."  “What  kind 
of  sins?"  “I  know  scarcely  any  sins  that  I have  not  com- 
mitted." “What  ones?"  asked  Ye,  a native  leader  of  great 
capacity  and  penetration.  “I  have  worshiped  spirits.  I did 
not  know  that  I was  sinning  before  I heard  of  Jesus.  I heard 
His  words  that  the  people  of  the  world  are  sinners,  and  that  He 
had  come  to  stand  in  sinners’  stead.  I learned  this  from  a man 
named  Chu."  “Who  is  Jesus?"  “The  Son  of  God.  The  Bible 
taught  me  this,  and  that  He  had  come  and  died  and  lived  again." 
“Has  Christ  borne  your  old  sins?"  “Yes,  He  has."  “If  you 
died  before  baptism  would  you  go  to  heaven?"  “Yes."  “Is 
baptism  not  useless,  then?"  “It  is  a sign  of  union  with  Christ, 
showing  that  I am  a part  of  the  body  of  Christ."  “Do  you 
observe  the  Sabbath?"  “I  have  done  so  since  I became  a cat- 
echuman."  “Why?"  “Because  it  is  a holy  day."  “What  is 
your  business?”  “I  am  a go-between  or  middle-man."  “Fair- 
days  come  on  each  fifth  day.  When  they  fall  on  Sunday  do  you 


i6 


still  observe  the  day?”  “Yes,  I have  done  so  for  seven  months.”' 
“Do  yon  love  Jesus?”  “Yes;  He  saved  me  and  will  give  me 
new  life.”  “Do  you  love  your  wife  and  children?”  “Yes.  We 
used  to  fight.  I got  drunk  in  those  days.  Now  I love  her  and 
I love  Jesus  more  than  all.”  “Do  you  understand  the  Lord’s 
Supper?”  “I  think  so.  It  is  kept  so  as  not  to  forget  Jesus.  The 
eating  and  drinking  are  marks  of  our  being  joined  to  Christ.” 
“Do  you  still  sin?”  “I  cannot  help  doing  wrong  daily,  but  I 
pray  to  God  when  I do.”  “Does  God  hear  you  for  the  good- 
ness of  your  praying?  Have  you  any  merit?”  “No.  He- 
does  it  for  Christ’s  sake.  As  for  merit,  I have  not  the  slightest 
little  bit.”  “How  do  you  know  you  are  forgiven?”  “The  Bible 
says  that  if  we  confess,  we  are  forgiven.  I believe  it.”  “Why 
do  you  believe  the  Bible?”  “It  is  the  Word  of  God.”  “How 
do  you  know?”  “The  story  of- the  shepherds  and  the  coming 
of  the  wise  men  make  me  think  that  it  is  true.”  “Have  you 
ever  had  a concubine?/’  “No.”  “Do  you  drink?”  “I.  was  a 
hard  drinker,  but  not  now.  This  body  is  not  mine.  If  I abuse 
it,  I shall  receive  eternal  punishment.”  “Do  you  speak  the 
truth?”  “I  have  lied  even  while  I was  a catechumen,  about  the 
price  of  goods  so  as  to  make  a ‘squeeze,’  but  I have  quit.  It  is 
hard  in  my  business,  but  I cannot  lie  and  be  Christ’s  disciple.” 
“Tell  of  your  experience  as  a catechumen.”  “Well,  other  mid- 
dlemen will  not  have  anything  to  do  with  me,  now  that  I have 
become  a Christian.  I am  able  to  read  the  Bible  in  both  Chinese 
and  Korean,  and  since  becoming  a catechumen  I have  been  go- 
ing to  the  church  every,  night,  where  a number  of  us  meet  and 
read.  I have  preached  to  my  wife  and  children,  but  only  my 
wife  and  one  son  have  come  yet  to  believe  and  to  do.”  “What 
is  your  idea  of  God?”  “I  know  that  He  is  the  very  high  spirit.” 
“Where  is  He?”  “There  is  not  one  place  where  He  is  not.” 
“Has  God  power?”  “Yes.  He  has  power  to  deliver  us  from 
wicked  devils.”  “Do  these  tempt  you  much?”  “Yes;  if  I 
don’t  keep  reading  the  Bible  I am  constantly  tempted  to  gam- 
ble, to  commit  adultery,  etc.”  “Have  you  given  up  sacrifice?”' 
asked  Ye.  “Yes.”  “What  do  you  do  on  the  day  of  ancestral 
worship?”  “I  go  to  the  church  on  that  day.”  “Can  Christ 
keep  you  from  sin?”  “Yes,  if  I trust  him  with  all  my  strength.”' 
“But  will  He  continue  to  do  what  He  has  done?”  “Can  I 
think  otherwise  of  Him?”  was  the  rejoinder.  “You  can’t  see 
the  Lord,”  said  Kim;  “how  do  you  know  all  this?”  “I  be- 
lieve, therefore  I know.”  “I  fear,”  said  Mr.  Lee,  “that  in  about 
six  months  you  will  quit  this  business.”  The  man  lookea  up 
sharply.  “Not  so,”  he  said.  “Do  you  know,”  the  questioner 
resumed,  “that  Jesus  loves  you?”  “If  he  had  not  loved  me. 
He  would  not  have  died  for  me.  From  the  time  He  died  until 


17 


now  I know  that  His  love  was  bestowed  on  me.”  “But  how  do- 
you  know,”  I asked,  “that  Jesus  died  for  Koreans?  was  it  not 
for  Europeans  only?”  “No,”  he  said,  keenly ; “He  died  for  the- 
whole  world,”  as  though  I had  suggested  depriving  him  of  his 
own.  “We  have  asked  a great  many  questions  now,”  said  Ye, 
as  though  satisfied.  I told  the  man,  then,  that  we  were  glad  to 
welcome  him  into  the  great  society  of  our  Savior,  made  up  of 
millions  from  every- land,  and  that  though  we  should  never  see 
him  again  here  we  should  meet  him  above  at  the  reunion  eter- 
nal. “That  is  a thankful  word,”  he  replied  as  with  glowing 
face  he  passed  out,  and  Chung,  one  of  the  leaders,  added,  “I 
never  thought  before  of  that  not  meeting,  and  then  meeting - 
above.  That  was  a good  word.  I am  glad.”  Then  the  meet- 
ing closed  with  Ye’s  calling  the  attention  of  the  others  to  a pas- 
sage he  had  found  in  the  thirty-first  chapter  of  Exodus  that  was 
stronger  on  the  Sabbath,  he  thought,  than  anything  in  the  New 
Testament.  And  I went  out  thinking  of  the  session  meeting  in 
Drumtochty  and  its  parallel  in  Pyeng  Yang.  The  whole  story 
will  show  the  spirit  of  the  men  and  the  movement  as  well  as 
illustrate  the  point  on  which  I have  cited  it. 

I have  discussed  in  the  report  on  China  the  question  of  the 
standard  of  conduct  to  be  expected  of  native  Christians.  It  will 
be  necessary  here  only  to  quote  the  “Rules  for  the  Native- 
Church  in  Korea,”  which  are  read  aloud  when  catechumens 
are  baptized  and  are  assented  to  by  them  at  that  time  publicly: 

“These  rules  are  not  for  those  outside  of  the  Church,  but 
since  they  have  been  made  for  those  inside  the  Church,  anyone 
whosoever  that  believes,  and  having  come  into  the  holy  Church 
is  receiving  baptism,  must  of  necessity  obey  them.  The  only- 
way for  outsiders  to  enter  the  Church  is  to  repent  of  and  for- 
sake their  sins,  and  trust  in  the  Lord. 

“I.  First,  since  the  Most  High  God  hates  the  glorifying 
and  worshiping  of  spirits,  follow  not  the  custom,  even  the  hon- 
oring of  ancestral  spirits,  but  worship  and  obey  God  alone. 

“H.  The  Lord’s  Day  being  a day  of  rest  and  a God-ap- 
pointed holy  day,  let  neither  man  nor  beast  do  any  work  there- 
in, even  to  the  pursuance  of  one’s  livelihood ; unless  it  be  ab- 
solutely necessary  work,  let  nothing  be  done.  Labor  diligently 
six  days,  and  as  for  this  day,  observe  it  strictly. 

“III.  Since  the  filial  reverencing  of  parents  is  something- 
which  God  has  commanded,  during  the  life  of  your  parents 
piously  reverence  them,  and  using  all  strength  be  faithful  to 
them  as  by  the  command  of  the  Lord. 

“IV.  Since  God  has  appointed  one  woman  for  one  man, 
let  there  be  not  only  no  abandoning  of  each  other,  but  let  there* 
be  a wife  and  no  concubines,  a husband  and  no  lewdness. 


i8 


“V.  Since  the  doing  of  the  holy  doctrine  is  the  first  thing 
to  be  done,  let  every  person  persuade  those  of  his  own  house, 
praising  and  praying,  and  with  one  mind  trusting  and  obeying 
the  Lord. 

“VI.  Since  God  has  ordered  that  we  shall  live  by  work- 
ing, let  no  one  eat  and  be  clothed  in  idleness.  Be  not  lazy ; tell 
no  lies ; be  not  covetous ; steal  not ; but  by  all  means  follow 
an  upright  livelihood,  and  using  strength,  feed  yourselves  and 
your  families. 

“VII.  The  Holy  Scriptures  not  only  forbid  drunkenness 
and  gambling,  but  since  from  these  things  spring  quarreling 
and  fighting  and  killing  and  wounding,  do  not  dare  to  commit 
them.  Also  do  not  make,  eat,  or  sell  either  wines  or  opium, 
and  keep  not  a gambling  house,  and  thus  debauch  the  conduct 
of  men.” 

For  a long  time  the  Mission  was  undecided  as  to  the  right 
ground  to  take  with  reference  to  the  baptism  of  polygamous 
candidates.  The  minutes  of  the  Council  show  how  thoroughly 
and  conscientiously  the  question  was  studied  over ; while  two 
papers,  one  by  Mr.  Baird  and  one  by  Mr.  Gifford,  are  among 
the  most  useful  contributions  to  the  literature  on  this  subject. 
The  missionaries  have  settled  down  now  on  a policy  unalterably 
opposed  to  the  baptism,  of  polygamists.  I believe  that  this  is 
the  right  policy.  It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  it  here,  but  in 
case  the  question  should  ever  becc5me  a question  for  the 
Board’s  decision,  I should  wish  to  present  views  and  evidence 
in  support  of  the  position  of  the  Korea  Mission. 

In  the  Pyeng  Yang  field  of  the  Northern  Methodist  Mis- 
sion, and,  I presume  elsewhere  in  this  Mission,  there  are  four 
classes  of  native  adherents:  the  first  made  up  of  full  church 
members,  the  second  consisting  of  baptized  probationers,  who 
have  all  the  privileges  of  church  membership  save  that  they 
cannot  vote  in  church  meeting  and  can  be  dropped  without 
church  trial ; third,  probationers  ; fourth,  inquirers. 

It  is  fortunate  that  a high  ideal  is  held  up  in  the  young 
Korean  churches,  and  that  a warm,  zealous  life  saves  the 
churches  from  being  chilled  by  such  requirements,  and  pre- 
serves them  from  Pharisaism  by  making  them  evangelistic.  The 
difficulty  of  maintaining  a high  standard  of  life,  while  at  the 
same  time  dealing  meekly  and  gently  with  those  who  err,  and 
whom  patient  treatment  may  bring  back,  is  evident.  It  is  too 
much  to  expect  that  all  the  laws  of  heredity  and  environment 
can  be  overleaped  in  a day.  And  the  effort  to  be  true  to  God 
and  His  law,  and  also  to  God’s  creatures  and  the  laws  of  their 
lives,  is  a task  of  supreme  difficulty.  Such  quotations  as  these 
from  the  minutes  of  the  Council  indicate  the  general  line  of 


9 


action  of  the  Mission;  (i)  “Resolved  that  Mr.  Saw  be  informed 
that  the  rule  of  the  church  is  that  no  man  can  be  a member 
who  holds  complicated  marriage  relations  with  more  than  one 
woman.  That,  in  consequence  of  this,  as  information  has  come 
to  us  that  he  is  involved  in  such  relations,  he  is  hereby  sus- 
pended from  membership  until  such  time  as  he  shall  rectify 
these  relations  to  the  satisfaction  of  the.  session,  and  prove 
himself  the  husband  of  but  one  woman.”  “(2)  Blank,  guilty 
of  abuse  of  foreign  influence,  in  attempting  to  enforce  payment 
of  money  by  confining  the  debtor  on  missionary  property  in  ab- 
sence of  the  missionary.  He  was  required  to  confess  his  sin  be- 
fore Chang  Dong  and  Yun  Mot  Kol  congregations,  and  sub- 
mit to  public  rebuke  from  pastors  in  charge.”  “(3)  Yang  Si 
Yong,  baptized  May  i,  1892.  He  left  off  attending  service 
when  the  school  (in  Gensan)  was  closed,  has  been  very  incon- 
sistent, and  seems  never  to  have  known  the  way  of  salvation. 
The  charges  against  him  are  drunkenness,  disgraceful  quarrel 
unrepented  of,  failure  to  attend  services  and  entire  disregard 

of  the  Lord’s  Day,  and  the  fact  that  Mr.  S and  the  entire 

church  believe  him  to  be  a hypocrite  and  a lip-professioned 
Christian.  The  committee,  therefore,  thinks  that  Mr.  Yong’s 
name  should  be  dropped  from  the  roll  and  he  be  forbidden 
communion  until  he  shows  evidence  of  repentance.” 

(3)  Care  of  the  native  Church. — The  policy  of  developing 
the  native  Church  slowly  on  its  ecclesiastical  side  has  been  ac- 
companied in  the  plans  of  the  Mission  by  great  emphasis  on  the 
spiritual  care  and  instruction  of  the  native  Christians  or  inquir- 
ers, as  the  following  quotations  from  the  Mission  rules  will 
show: 

“'A  sub-station  consists  of  a number  of  Christians  who 
meet  together  on  the  Sabbath  in  a chapel  or  private  room  for 
the  worship  of  God. 

Sec.  A.  Art.  IV.  It  shall  be  the  policy  of  the  Mission  to 
unite  as  far  as  possible  sub-stations  which  are  in  close  proxim- 
ity to  each  other. 

Art.  VI.  All  sub-stations  shall  be  brought  under  the  re- 
view of  the  Mission  each  year,  and  shall  be  assigned  to  the 
several  members  of  the  Mission,  only  providing  that  no  sub- 
station shall  be  taken  out  of  the  hands  of  the  founder  without 
his  consent. 

Art.  VII.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  missionary  having 
charge  of  special  sub-stations; 

(1)  To  visit  the  sub-stations  under  his  charge  as  often  as 
possible. 

(2)  To  assign  to  native  laborers  under  his  charge  their  cir- 
cuits, and  give  them  instructions  concerning  their  work. 


20 


(3)  To  work  out  a course  of  Scripture  instruction  for  each, 
sub-station,  in  accordance  with  the  general  plan  approved  by 
the  Mission. 

(4)  To  appoint  or  procure  the  election  of  a leader  or  lead- 
ers, and  to  instruct  them  in  their  duties. 

(5)  To  invite  the  leader  or  leaders,  and  one  or  two  others, 
as  in  their  judgment  they  may  see  fit,  to  attend  the  theological' 
class  of  the  Mission  nearest  their  home;  to  urge  their  attend-- 
ance,  and  to  report  to  the  missionary  or  committee  in  charge 
of  the  theological  class,  the  names  of  those  who  will  probably 
attend. 

(6)  To  administer  discipline,  to  examine  and  pass  candi- 
dates for  admission  to  the  Church  ; to  report  the  same  to  church 
or  missionary  court  having  jurisdiction  over  the  territory  in 
which  the  sub-station  is,  who  shall  take  the  necessary  steps 
toward  the  admission  of  the  candidates,  if  in  their  judgment  it 
is  wise  and  timely.* 

Art.  VIII.  Each  missionary  shall  make  an  annual  report 
to  the  Mission  concerning  each  of  the  sub-stations  under  his 
charge,  giving  the  number  of  applicants  for  baptism,  the  num- 
ber of  baptisms,  the  number  suspended  or  excluded,  together 
with  a full  account  of  its  condition. 

Art.  XIV.  The  regular  establishment  of  new  sub-stations 
shall  be  encouraged  only  where  there  is  time  for  the  careful 
oversight  of  the  same,  except  where  special  indications  of 
Providence  and  openings  for  work  call  for  their  establishment. 

Art.  XV.  It  shall  be  our  policy  to  establish  strong,  well- 
manned  sub-stations  in  important  central  positions,  rather  than’ 
a large  number  of  weak  ones.” 

Under  the  caption  “Educational  Work,”  the  plans  of  the* 
Mission  for  the  instruction  of  leaders  will  be  presented.  At-- 
tention  is  called  now  merely  to  the  fact  that  adequate  super- 
vision by  the  missionary  is  insisted  upon.  This  means  itinera- 
tion, of  course.  The  great  need  of  the  Mission  now  is  for 
more  itineration  of  the  best  directed  kind,  and,  accompanying 
it,  for  more  instruction  of  the  native  leaders  and  groups  of 
Christians. 

(4)  Self-support. — The  last  statistical  report  of  the  Mission- 
for  the  eleven  months  ending  September  i,  1897,  gave  thenum- 
ber  of  communicants  at  932,  and  the  total  native  contribution 
at  $971.12  silver;  but  this  did  not  include,  I think,  many  of 
their  gifts,  between  one  hundred  and  two  hundred  dollars  to 


*Notb. — As  in  other  missions  and  mission  stations,  this  power  may  be  delegated 
to  the  missionary  about  to  vi.sit  any  sub-station  or  stations  where  distance  or  other - 
circumstances  might  render  it  impossible  forthe  church  or  missionary  court,  as  such, . 
to  act  upon  individual  cases. 


21 


the  Indian  Famine  Relief  Fund,  and  a great  deal  to  other 
causes.  Nor  did  it  include  a great  deal  that  the  people  have 
furnished  themselves  for  their  own  work.  It  did  include 
$260.50  supplied  by  the  people  toward  church  buildings,  which 
are  very  cheap,  toward  which  the  Board  gave  nothing.  Of  the 
total  congregational  expenses  of  $562.68,  the  people  are  re- 
ported as  giving  $545.16.  It  needs  to  be  remembered  also  that 
the  great  majority' of  the  working  force  are  wholly  self-sup- 
porting, the  Mission  employing  only  five  helpers  apart  from 
the  teachers,  and  the  most  widespread  work  being  done  now  by 
the  unpaid  leaders.  Some  of  the  churches  not  only  support  all 
of  their  own  work,  but  employ  evangelists  to  give  all  of  their 
time  to  itinerating  work.  For  example,  of  the  Chang  Yun 
church,  in  Whang  Hai  Do,  one  of  the  missionaries  writes; 
“This  church,  our  oldest  sub-station,  is  entirely  self-support- 
ing, and  not  only  so,  but  they  support  a regular  evangelist  to- 
travel  and  carry  on  work  in  the  surrounding  country,  pay  the 
traveling  expenses  of  any  approved  workers  that  are  willing  to 
do  country  work  in  the  intervals  of  their  secular  labor,  have 
endowed  their  own  day  school,  built  for  themselves  a large, 
substantial  church,  have  contributed  to  the  work  in  other  sec- 
tions; at  a special  collection  taken  recently,  subscribed  and 
paid  over  to  the  Indian  Famine  Fund  between  $80  and  $90,. 
and  now  propose  to  support  entirely  a foreign  missionary  and 
his  wife,  if  such  are  sent  to  live  in  their  neighborhood.”  They 
propose  to  give  such  a man  rice  for  himself  and  his  servants, 
fuel,  some  money,  and  a farm  which  they  will  work  for  him 
under  his  direction. 

The  spirit  of  a true  self-reliance,  unaccompanied  by  any 
petulant  jealousy  or  bumptious  sense  of  independence,  seems  to 
have  been  developed  among  the  people.  In  upper  Whang  Hai 
Do,  for  example,  the  sub-stations  have  multiplied  greatlv — too 
fast  under  the  native  unpaid  leaders  to  allow  the  missionaries 
to  visit  them  carefully.  A great  need  of  books  arose,  and  the 
leaders  suggested  the  establishment  of  three  depositories  in 
different  parts  of  the  field  where  the  people  could  go  and  pur- 
chase books,  but  they  deprecated  the  employment  of  paid  col- 
porteurs by  the  Mission,  and  they  wished  all  the  expenses  to 
be  met  by  the  charges  for  books.  I was  struck  in  going  into 
one  of  the  four  large  Sunday  schools  in  Pyeng  Yang  with  the 
fact  that  on  the  floor  in  the  center  of  each  group  of  men  was  a 
little  pile  of  money.  I supposed  it  was  the  collection,  but  dis- 
covered it  was  the  money  they  paid  simply  for  the  lesson 
leaves.  Even  those  they  had  no  desire  to  receive  as  a charity. 

The  secrets  of  this  happy  condition  are  two:  first,  there  is  a 
genuine  spiritual  life  in  the  hearts  of  these  people ; and  sec- 


22 


ondly,  they  have  been  started  on  a right  basis  at  the  beginning. 
The  Mission  rules  are  worthy  of  presentation: 

“A  leader  shall  be  a native  Christian,  selected  by  the  peo- 
ple of  a sub-station,  or  appointed  by  the  missionary  in  charge, 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  take  charge  of  the  regular  services  in 
the  absence  of  the  person  or  persons  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  to  have  general  oversight  of  the  sub-station. 

“A  steward  shall  be  a native  Christian  selected  by  the  peo- 
ple of  a sub-station,  or  appointed  by  the  missionary  in  charge, 
to  temporarily  perform  the  duties  of  a deacon,  but  without  or- 
dination. 

“All  native  agents  receiving  pay  for  Christian  work,  with 
the  work  that  they  are  doing,  shall  be  brought  by  name  before 
the  Mission  at  its  annual  meetings  and  assigned  for  oversight 
to  the  various  members  of  the  Mission. 

“Those  native  agents  employed  as  preachers  to  the  heath- 
en at  large,  shall  not  spend  their  time  in  neighborhoods  where 
there  are  sub-stations. 

“Nomemberof  the  Mission  shall  employ  on  pay  any  native 
agent  without  station  approval,  except  it  be  temporarily  in 
special  cases. 

“No  one  shall  be  hired  to  do  occasional  evangelistic  work 
in  his  own  neighborhood. 

“It  shall  be  definitely  understood  that  salaries  paid  to  na- 
tive agents  are  not  salaries  in  the  sense  of  payments  for  Chris- 
tian work  done,  but  rather  providing  them  with  the  means  of 
support  so  that  they  may  be  able  to  give  their  whole  time  to 
the  work  to  which  they  believe  they  have  been  called. 

“These  salaries  of  native  agents,  while  varying  somewhat 
of  course,  according  to  location  and  work,  shall  as  nearly  as 
possible  conform  to  a schedule  prepared  by  the  Mission  at  its 
annual  meeting. 

“The  missionary  in  charge  shall  do  his  utmost  to  lead  each 
sub-station  to  make  an  annual  contribution,  either  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  native  agent  laboring  among  them,  or  of  persons 
chosen  by  themselves,  to  labor  in  new  fields,  and  to  make  con- 
tributions for  the  poor,  and  other  special  objects. 

“The  introduction  of  the  practice  of  having  those  who 
come  from  a distance  fed  after  the  service  on  Sabbath,  and 
defraying  expenses  from  the  regular  contributions  of  the 
church,  shall  be  strongly  discouraged. 

“Native  agents  shall  be  leaders,  stewards,  elders,  deacons, 
colporteurs,  helpers,  Bible  women,  licentiates,  evangelists,  and 
pastors ; leaders,  stewards,  elders,  and  deacons  shall  receive  no 
pay  for  such  services.” 


23 


These  rules  are  full  of  hard  sense.  The  mission- 
aries recognize  that  there  is  a proper  use  of  money 
in  the  employment  of  native  agents,  but  they  strive 
for  the  fundamental  principle  that  all  Christians  must 
be  workers,  and  that  the  work  must  grow  from  the 
bottom  up,  and  not  from  the  top  down.  They  firmly 
• believe,  and  their  experience  confirms  this  belief,  that  Dr. 
Nevius’s  plan,  as  it' is  called,  is  practicable  and  wise.  They  are 
not  deceived,  as  many  who  have  never  tried  it  seem  to  be,  by 
the  idea  that  it  does  not  allow  any  employment  of  native  agen- 
cy, or  even  a large  employment  of  native  agency,  provided  this 
agency  is  adequately  supervised  and  is  used  for  proper  work. 
They  do  not  believe  that  the  use  of  it  in  such  a way  as  to  relieve 
native  Christians  from  their  responsibilities  as  workers,or  to  de- 
velop a set  of  men  who  preach  to  native  Christians  rather  than 
lead  them  in  work  and  evangelize  the  non-Christians,  or  who 
settle  down  into  a narrow,  localized  work  rather  than  broaden 
out  into  virile,  effective  itineracies,  is  a proper  use  of  mission 
funds. 

Somemay  say  that  these  plans  work  in  Korea  because  the 
work  was  stared  right.  Exactly  so.  Why  may  it  not  be  started 
right  in  all  the  new  points  where  we  are  constantly  opening 
new  work  in  other  fields?  Because  we  have  not  started  right 
in  one  part  of  a field  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  start  right 
in  another.  Or  some  may  say  that  these  Korean  Christians 
are  thoroughly  converted.  Exactly  so.  Is  the  Spirit  of  God 
able  and  willing  to  do  for  them  what  He  is  unable  and  unwill- 
ing to  do  for  others?  Or  some  may  say  that  exceptional  con- 
ditions have  favored  the  growth  of  the  work.  It  is  so,  and  in 
many  other  fields  the  conditions  are  unfavorable.  That  may 
make  our  work  slower  or  smaller.  It  should  not  lead  to  the 
adoption  of  wrong  methods  in  it.  Or  sor»e  may  say  that  the 
character  of  the  Koreans  is  such  as  to  make  a strong,  buoyant 
movement  like  this  possible  in  Korea,  while  it  would  not  be 
possible  elsewhere.  In  a sense  this  is  so.  National  character 
has  great  influence.  But  in  this  regard  the  Koreans  have  al- 
ways been  ranked  low,  and  especially  in  comparison  with  the 
Chinese  and  Japanese.  If  such  fresh,  vital  methods  are  pos- 
sible in  Korea,  they  ought  not  to  be  less  possible  in  China  and 
Japan. 

In  any  event  the  spirit  of  work  and  love  is  in  the  Korean 
Christians.  During  our  stay  at  Pyeng  Yang  we  were  having 
constant  evidence  of  it.  One  day  an  unpaid  helper  came  in 
reporting  from  his  circuit  thirty-one  congregations  he  had 
visited,  and  five  which  had  sprung  up,  but  which  he  had  not 


24 


been  able  to  visit.  The  number  of  catechumens  in  each  varied 
from  lo  to  lOO.  The  next  day  a helper  from  the  North  came 
in  reporting  six  congregations  which  had  raised  $127  for  their 
expenses  and  buildings,  and  nine  unorganized  groups  of  in- 
quirers. Another  afternoon  the  Christians  had  a picnic  in  hon- 
or of  Korea’s  Independence  Day.  The  flags  with  which  they  ^ 
marched  attracted  a great  crowd.  This  was  an  occasion  which 
they  at  once  improved,  and  they  preached  the  Gospel  to  the 
crowd.  This  they  did  repeatedly  to  new  crowds,  and  on  their 
way  home  stopped  in  the  most  public  place  in  the  city,  and 
one  after  another  declared  to  the  great  throng  the  riches  of 
Christ.  There  was  the  power  of  a great  life  in  these  Christians. 
They  were  fertile  in  plans  of  evangelization  and  indefatigable 
in  preaching  Christ  “daily  and  from  house  to  house,”  while 
“they  took  their  food  with  gladness  and  singleness  of  heart, 
praising  God  and  having  favor  with  all  the  people.” 

An  unqualifiedly  favorable  view  of  the  condition  of  the 
Korean  Christians  the  missionaries  were  constantly  discour- 
aging,  pointing  out  weaknesses  and  defects  and  shortcomings. 
There  are  and  will  be  many  disappointments,  and  the  work 
may  be  brought  up  with  a round  check  some  day,  as  it  was  in 
Japan,  though  from  different  causes.  But  if  I should  go  on 
and  describe  the  churches  in  Seoul,  the  little  groups  of  Chris- 
tians in  other  stations,  the  Sunday  schools,  and  individual 
Christians,  the  favorable  and  encouraging  elements  would 
greatly  predominate.  It  appears  to  be  a good  Church,  founded 
on  a good  basis. 

II.  Education. — The  Mission  has  moved  as  cautiously, 

and  it  seems  to  me  as  judiciously  in  some  regards,  in  the  edu- 
cational work  as  in  the  development  of  the  native  Church.  The 
last  report  states  that  there  are  ten  day  schools  with  166  pupils. 
There  were  at  that  time  also  tw^o  boarding-schools,  both  in 
Seoul,  one  for  boys,  with  35  pupils,  and  one  for  girls,  with  38  pu- 
pils. The  latter  was  established  in  1888,  and  the  former  in 
1886.  The  boys’  school  began  as  an  orphanage,  and  part  of 
the  instruction  was  in  English.  In  1890  English  was  dropped 
and  the  orphanage  idea  was  abandoned  as  unsatisfactory.  At 
the  meeting  last  September,  wEen  Mr.  Grant  and  I were  pres- 
ent, it  was  unanimously  voted  to  close  the  school  for  the  pres- 
ent. There  were  the  following  reasons  for  this:  (i)  the 

evangelistic  work  is  imperatively  urgent.  There  are  openings 
everywhere.  These  may  be  closed  shortly.  At  present  the 
field  seems  white,  and  all  available  men,  with  the  language 
and  experience,  should  go  out  among  the  people.  Sending 
new  missionaries  prepares  for  future  work,  but  it  does  not  do 


25 


the  work  which  is  now  crying  to  be  done.  (2)  There  is  little 
demand  from  the  native  Christians  as  yet  for  higher  educa- 
tion. Their  great  needs  are  for  Bible  instruction  and  primary 
schools.  It  will  be  to  their  interest  to  wait  a little  before  de- 
veloping a higher  school.  (3)  The  old  school  had  not  been 
satisfactory.  It  was  in  the  main  a primary  school,  only  a few 
^ boys  being  in  it  who  were  capable  of  receiving  advanced  in- 
struction ; and  it  seemed  best  to  turn  the  primary  department 
over  to  one  of  the  Seoul  churches  as  a day  school,  to  be  sup- 
ported by  it,  when  the  so-called  academic  department  quietly 
went  out  of  existence,  so  leaving  the  way  clear  for  a clean  start 
with  a new  and  real  high  school,  when  the  Mission  is  ready  for 
it.  (4)  There  was  no  one  available  who  was  adequately  quali- 
fied for  just  the  work  needing  to  be  done  in  Seoul.  Mr.  Baird 
and  Mr.  Miller,  who  had  had  charge  of  the  school  during  the 
year,  were  needed,  the  former  in  the  wide-open  work  in  the 
north,  and  the  latter  in  the  evangelistic  work  in  Whang  Hai 
Do.  For  these  reasons  the  school  was  discontinued,  and  the 
Mission  asks  the  Board  to  sell  the  property  and  hold  the  pro- 
■ ceeds  as  a special  fund  for  the  establishment  of  the  institution 
as  soon  as  it  may  seem  advisable  to  open  it  again.  I favor  this 
proposal.  The  old  property  can  not  be  put  to  any  other  wise 
use  in  connection  with  our  work,  and  it  is  located  in  a section 
•of  the  city  where  we  should  not  wish  to  have  our  school. 

At  present,  therefore,  we  have  no  high  school  for  boys  in 
Korea.  I think  that  before  long  we  should  have  such  a school. 
'The  Christian  community  is  growing  fast  and  will  need  it  for 
the  training  of  preachers,  teachers,  and  Christian  leaders  in 
other  callings.  There  is  great  need,  and  will  be  greater  need, 
for  such  an  institution.  There  are  schools  in  Seoul,  but  none 
of  the  kind  we  should  want  to  establish,  a school  in  the  vernacu- 
lar, openly  and  aggressively  Christian,  and  doing  educational 
work  of  solid  and  thorough  character.  Dr.  Jaisohn  told  me 
that  such  a school  would  be  thronged  with  pupils  even  without 
the  inducements  of  English  or  bread-and-butter  subsidies.  On 
the  other  hand,  some  of  the  missionaries  say  they  have  not 
seen  any  demand  for  vernacular  education.  I believe,  though, 
that  if  we  had  the  right  man  to  organize  and  inspire  our  school 
we  could  have  as  many  pupils  as  we  wanted,  and  could  largely 
mould  the  future  of  Korea.  The  opportunity  seems  to  me 
magnificent.  Mr.  Adams  seemed  to  me  the  man  best  quali- 
fied of  the  present  force,  but  it  may  be  better  to  find  some  new 
man  with  the  special  gifts,  who  will  begin  slowly  and  humbly, 
after  he  is  prepared,  with  a few  boys,  and  who  will  be  all  for 
•quality  and  solidity,  not  for  quantity  and  show.  The  indus- 
trial ideas  some  have  advocated  I do  not  believe  in,  and  the 


26 


problems  of  a manual  element  in  the  school,  the  place  of 
Chinese  in  its  curriculum,  etc.,  are  secondary  questions  which 
the  right  man  will  be  led  to  settle  in  due  time.  Whether  Seoul 
is  the  proper  place  for  a school  designed  to  train  Christian 
leaders  for  the  country  as  well  as  the  city,  is  a hard  question. 
It  is  a demoralizing  place  to  country  boys,  and  it  is  a long  over- 
land journey,  both  from  the  south  and  the  north,  though  much  • 
shorter  by  sea.  By  the  time  we  are  ready  to  reopen  the  school^ 
however,  there  will  be  further  light  upon  the  question  of  its 
location. 

The  branch  of  educational  work  most  needing  attention  is 
the  instruction  of  the  leaders.  The  work  has  grown  so  that  it 
has  been  difficult  to  keep  pace  with  this.  Its  present  momen- 
tum must  not  be  lost  through  the  loss  of  freshness  of  knowl- 
edge. The  new  converts  and  their  leaders  must  be  taught  and 
put  in  the  way  of  unending  growth  in  character  and  intelli- 
gence. The  Mission  has  aimed  to  provide  for  this,  as  its  rules 
show: 

‘‘Section  D,  Article  I. — The  Mission  shall  provide  for 
theological  instruction  to  be  given  to  its  various  native  agents 
in  summer  or  winter  theological  classes,  and  also,  when  the 
time  arrives,  for  more  systematic  and  thorough  instruction  by 
a theological  school. 

“Article  II — The  winter  or  summer  theological  class  or 
classes  of  the  Mission  shall  be  arranged  for  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Mission,  and  shall  be  placed  under  the  care  of  a 
member  or  members  of  the  Mission. 

“Article  III: — The  object  of  these  theological  classes  shall 
be  to  fit  the  various  native  agents  for  their  work,  but  more 
especially  to  prepare  natives  to  become  self-supporting  teach- 
ers of  others,  without  removing  them  from  their  various  call- 
ings. 

“Article  IV. — The  various  members  of  the  Mission  having 
charge  of  sub-stations  shall  invite  the  leaders,  helpers,  and 
native  agents,  and  others  whom  they  see  fit,  to  attend  these 
classes  nearest  to  their  respective  sub-stations,  and  report 
those  who  will  attend  to  the  leader  of  the  class. 

“Article  V. — Except  under  special  circumstances,  only 
those  invited  by  a member  of  the  Mission  shall  be  allowed  to 
attend  these  classes. 

“Article  VI. — The  work  required  of  the  members  of  the 
class  shall  be  such  that  all  idlers  or  others  with  any  personal 
motives  in  view  shall  find  it  more  agreeable  to  leave  the  class. 

“Article  VII. — It  shall  be  the  rule  of  the  Mission  to  simply 
provide  for  the  entertainment  of  the  members  of  this  class 


27 


while  in  attendance  upon  its  duties,  and  only  in  exceptional 
cases  shall  any  portion  of  the  expenses  of  returning  home  be 
paid  by  the  Mission.” 

Progress  has  been  made  in  the  matter  of  self-support  in 
these  classes  since  this  rule  was  adopted.  The  Chang  Yun 
church  entertained  the  class  held  by  Dr.  Underwood  last  year,, 
and  it  is  proposed  in  Pyeng  Yang  either  to.  have  the  class  en- 
tertained in  the  houses  of  the  native  Christians,  or  to  have  it 
made  up  of  delegates  appointed  by  the  groups  of  Christians 
who  will  provide  for  their  expenses  in  whole  or  in  part.  The 
accounts  presented  to  the  Mission  meeting  by  Dr.  Underwood 
and  Mr.  Lee  of  the  classes  held  last  year  are  deserving  of  the 
careful  reading  of  each  member  of  the  Board.  They  are  a 
revelation  of  the  vitality,  the  reality,  the  substantial  character 
of  this  work.  Mr.  Baird’s  removal  to  Pyeng  Yang,  and  Mr. 
Miller’s  assignment  to  a share  in  the  great  evangelistic  work 
which  Dr.  Underwood  was  carrying  alone  will  enable  the  Mis- 
sion to  provide  for  yet  more  thorough  instruction  of  the  leaders 
and  others  who  come  this  year ; for  the  missionaries  have  found 
it  impossible  to  confine  the  classes  to  the  numbers  originally 
planned.  Men  and  women  and  even  children  come  in,  some 
from  long  distances,  and  refuse  to  be  turned  away. 

The  Mission  has  conducted  annually  also  a teachers’  in- 
stitute, analogous  to  thi‘s  normal  theological  school,  only  de- 
signed to  fit  better  for  their  work  the  teachers  of  the  primary 
schools.  It  is  an  excellent  scheme.  Even  when  a high  school 
of  academic  grade  has  been  developed,  these  normal  institutes 
\ held  during  a favorable  season  of  the  year  for  Bible  training 
and  for  training  in  methods  and  material  of  teaching  will  be 
' needed  for  a great  and  useful  class  of  men  too  old  to  enter  a 
high  school,  and  likely  to  be  rather  unfitted  than  better  pre- 
pared by  its  influence  and  method. 

The  Girls’  Boarding  School  is  now  in  its  comfortable  new 
home,  to  which  it  was  moved  because  (i)  in  its  old  location  it 
was  too  near  the  Methodist  school,  which  came  at  a later  time, 
and  with  which  it  could  not  compete,  (2)  in  its  new  location  it 
was  believed  there  would  be  more  room  for  woman’s  work, 
and  (3)  the  proximity  of  legations  and  the  new  palace  has 
made  the  old  location  objectionable.  During  the  last  year 
forty-two  were  enrolled,  eighteen  from  Christian  families,  and 
six  from  the  families  of  adherents.  Theirages  ran  from  eight  to 
seventeen.  Work  of  such  sort  for  girls  is  now  in  the  stage 
which  it  has  passed  through  in  China  and  elsewhere.  Parents 
do  not  value  education  for  their  daughters,  and  do  not  care  to 
support  their  daughters  in  schools,  especially  when  it  costs." 


28 


'more  than  it  would  at  home,  and  the  girl’s  labor  is  lost.  Also 
■‘there  is  little  opening  for  educated  women.  Patience  and  per- 
severance are  needed.  The  general  judgment  of  the  Mission 
in  the  discussion  we  heard  was  to  the  effect  that  parents  should 
•be  expected  to  give  at  least  a large  portion  of  the  rice  needed 
for  their  daughters,  and  that  in  a boarding  school  the  age  limit 
■of  admission  should  not  be  too  low.  The  primary  work  should 
be  done  in  day-schools. 

The  Gospel  has  proved  a great  intellectual  stimulus  to  the 
native  Christians.  It  has  awakened  them  out  of  torpor.  They 
teach  one  another  to  read.  They  gather  in  their  simple  little 
churches  built  of  mud  and  rice-thatch  just  like  their  own 
houses,  and  talk  and  study,  and  they  want  schools.  The  Mis- 
sion encourages  this  desire,  but  does  not  wish  to  frustrate  its 
best  results  by  providing  what  the  people  can  provide.  To 
meet  this  point  the  following  rules  were  adopted  at  the  Mis- 
sion meeting: 

“Resolved,  That  in  places  where  there  is  a sufficient  Chris- 
tian constituency,  private  schools  should  be  organized  and  sup- 
ported by  the  native  Church,  and  should  be  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  missionary  in  charge  of  the  district.  That  in 
•exceptional  cases  assistance  may  be  given  by  the  Mission,  but 
not  to  exceed  more  than  one-half  the  expense  of  the  school. 

“Primary  schools  carried  on  at  the  expense  of  the  Mission 
for  evangelistic  purposes  in  districts  where  there  is  not  yet  a 
sufficiently  strong  Christian  constituency,  may  be  organized, 
but  only  after  direct  Mission  permission,  or  in  the  interim  be- 
tween Mission  meetings  by  sanction  of  the  Educational  Com- 
mittee  

“We  recommend  that  the  age  of  entrance  to  the  Girls’ 
'School  be- raised  from  eight  years  to  ten  years  (foreign  count). 

“ In  regard  to  making  an  advance  toward  self-support  in 
the  Girls’  School,  w^e  recommend  that  a strong  effort  in  that 
direction  be  m.ade,  the  method  adopted  being  left  to  the  discre- 
tion of  the  one  in  charge.” 

The  section  from  the  Mission  rules  regarding  schools  is 
in  its  outlines  so  sensible  that  I quote  it  in  full:^ 

“Sec.  C,  Art.  I.  All  the  schools  of  the  Mission  shall  be 
under  an  Educational  Committee,  which  shall  act  as  an  ad- 
visory board,  with  whom  the  various  superintendents  of  in- 
dividual schools  shall  consult,  and  whose  special  duty  it  shall 
be  to  see  that  the  general  policy  of  the  Mission  with  reference 
to  school  w^ork  is  upheld ; who  shall  attend,  or,  if  this  is  not 
^ possible,  shall  appoint  a committee  to  attend  the  annual  ex- 
•aminations  of  the  schools,  and  wffio  shall  report  to  the  annual 


29 


meeting  of  the  Mission,  immediately  after  the  reports  of  the 
superintendents  of  various  schools  have  been  heard. 

“Art.  II.  Each  school  shall  be  given  in  charge  of  a super- 
intendent or  board  of  superintendents,  who  shall  have  the  en- 
tire charge  of  such  school — of  course  following  the  general 
policy  laid  down  by  the  Mission ; shall  advise  with  the  Educa- 
tional Committee  on  all  new  departures,  and  report  annually 
to  the  Mission,  giving  the  total  expense,  total  number  of  pu- 
pils, number  of  pupils  received,  number  of  old  pupils  lost  or 
dismissed,  number  of  teachers  and  the  wages  paid  them,  list 
of  classes  taught  by  foreign  superintendent,  number  of 
Christian  pupils,  and  general  moral  tone  of  the  school. . 

“Art.  III.  In  every  school  two  primary  ideas  are  to  be 
kept  in  view: 

“(i)  That  the  fundamental  idea  of  a school  is  to  educate 
in  the  various  branches  of  useful  knowledge,  and  thus  fit  the 
pupils  for  the  various  duties  and  responsibilities  of  active  life. 

“(2)  That  the  religious  and  spiritual  influence  brought  to 
bear  on  the  pupils  is  the  most  important  thing  in  the  school. 

“Both  of  these  ideas  m.ay  and  should  be  realized  in  a 
good  school. 

“Art.  IV.  Those  who  have  charge  of  the  school  should 
give  a fair  amount  of  time  to  teaching  and  other  personal  in-* 
tercourse  with  the  pupils,  so  as  to  gain  an  influence  over  them, 
and  to  impress  their  minds  and  characters.  Unexpected  visits 
and  stated  examinations  may  serve  to  keep  the  Korean  teacher 
up  to  his  work,  but  they  are  comparatively  ineffectual  in  moral 
influence  and  in  power  to  affect  the  character  of  the  pupils. 

“Art.  V.  The  board,  lodging,  etc.,  shall  be  perfectly  plain, 
and  a special  effort  shall  be  made  to  avoid  the  fostering  of  any 
ideas  and  the  forming  of  any  habits  which  will  unfit  the  pupils 
for  living  as  their  own  people  in  the  same  station  in  life  live. 

“Art.  VI.  All  teachers  shall,  if  possible,  be  Christians,  and 
shall  be  mentioned  by  name  in  the  foreign  superintendent’s 
annual  report  of  the  school,  with  the  salary  paid  and  the  num- 
ber of  hours  a week  spent  in  teaching. 

“Art.  VII.  When  pupils  are  admitted  to  the  school,  steps 
should  be  taken,  by  written  indenture  or  otherwise,  to  secure 
attendance  until  the  object  had  in  view  is  accomplished. 

“Art.  VIII.  As  pupils,  the  children  of  Christian  parents 
are  to  be  preferred  to  heathen  children,  because  they  are  more 
likely  to  fulfil  their  engagements  to  remain  in  the  school,  and 
more  likely  to  make  good  and  reliable  men  and  women  in 
the  end.  • 

“Art.  ‘IX.  Save  in  exceptional  cases,  children  whose  pa- 


30 


rents  are  beggars,  or  such  as  send  their  children  to  school 
solely  to  escape  their  maintenance,  shall  not  be  received  as 
pupils. 

“Art.  X.  Dull  and  stupid  boys  and  girls  shall  not  know- 
ingly be  received  into  a school,  nor  retained  there  as  a matter 
of  charity  to  them  or  their  parents. 

“Art  XL  As  a rule,  boys  should  not  be  received  as  board- 
ers under  ten  years  of  age  (foreign  count),  nor  girls  under 
eight  (foreign  count),  except  with  the  approval  of  the  local 
members  of  the  Educational  Committee. 

“Art.  XII.  No  more  shall  be  done  in  the  way  of  board, 
clothing,  etc.,  than  is  absolutely  necessary  to  secure  the  end 
proposed  by  the  school.  If  possible,  clothing,  bedding,  and  na- 
tive books  shall  be  furnished  by  parents  or  guardians  of  the 
pupils,  and  as  soon  as  practicable,  parents  or  guardians  who 
are  able  to  do  so,  shall  be  required  to  pay  something  for  the 
privilege  of  the  school. 

“Art.  XIII.  An  examination  shall  conclude  each  school 
year,  which  shall  be  attended,  if  possible,  by  the  Educational 
Committee  of  the  Mission,  and  a report  of  the  examination 
rendered  to  the  Mission  at  its  annual  meeting. 

“Art.  XIV.  The  course  of  study  of  all  schools  shall  be, 
in  the  main,  uniform,  taking  for  its  guide  a course  to  be  pre- 
pared hereafter.  All  these  schools  shall  aim  to  prepare  stu- 
dents for  an  educational  institution  which  shall  be  located  in 
Seoul.” 

These  rules  apply  in  the  main  to  the  boarding-schools. 
The  age  limits,  as  applied  to  pupils  in  boarding-schools  are 
altogether  too  low.  In  rules  intended  to  cover  day  schools, 
also,  requirements  of  sufficient  missionary  supervision  cannot 
be  made  too  strict.  Even  in  Korea  we  had  evidence  of  the 
loss  incurred  by  a want  of  such  supervision.  If  a school  can- 
not be  made  what  it  should  be,  it  may  not  be  best  always  at 
once  to  discontinue  it,  but  the  presumption  is  adverse  to  its 
continuance. 

III.  Medical  Work. — I think  that  there  are  no  features  of 
medical  work  peculiar  to  Korea.  What  has  been  said  in  my 
report  on  China  applies  equally  to  Korea.  Medical  work  is 
scarcely  needed  in  Korea,  however,  to  incline  the  people  favor- 
ably toward  Christianity.  It  should  have  the  evangelistic  aim 
even  more  conspicuously  than  in  China,  if  that  might  be.  Only 
a few  pointsneed  tobe touched  upon,  (i)  Wehavethree  hos- 
pitals in  Korea;  one  in  Seoul,  the  largest,  with  a capacity  _ of 
thirty  in-patients,  and  an  average  of  fifteen  in-patients  during 
the  year;  one  in  Pyeng  Yang,  with  a smaller  capacity,  and' 


31 


one  in  Fusan,  which  is  really  only  a dispensary,  with  an  operat- 
ing room,  waiting  room,  and  one  or  two  more  additional 
rooms.  The  medical  missionaries  last  year  treated  23,778  out- 
patients in  these  hospitals  and  in  the  dispensaries  under  Dr. 
Vinton  and  Dr.  Whiting,  and  383  in-patients.  (2)  I do  not 
believe  we  ought  to  enlarge  greatly  the  medical  missionary 
force  in  Korea.  We  have  no  medical  missionary  at  Gensan, 
but  there  are  two  doctors  there.  In  Pyeng  Yang  the  Meth- 
odists have  a good  medical  work,  and  in  Seoul  there  are  four 
other  hospitals,  two  under  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel,  and  two  under  the  Methodists.  It  could  be  hoped 
that  there  might  be  some  consolidation  among  these  five  in- 
stitutions, of  which  ours  was  first  in  the  field  and  has  ever  been 
the  largest  and  most  efficient,  but  there  is  no  prospect  at  all  of 
this.  (3)  Feeling  that  the  field  was  thus  supplied,  and  desiring 
to  have  a more  active  part  in  the  country  evangelistic  work, 
Dr.  Whiting  asked  the  Mission  to  assign  her  to  such  work. 
Some  felt  that  a woman  doctor  could  gain  access  to  a high 
class  of  houses  and  women  in  Seoul  inaccessible  to  anyone 
else,  but  Dr.  Whiting  regards  this  opening  as  exceedingly 
small,  if,  indeed,  it  can  be  obtained  at  all  save  in  such  excep- 
tional ways  as  have  come  to  Mrs.  Underwood.  (4)  The  Korea 
Mission,  with  the  unanimous  concurrence  of  the  doctors,  has 
decided  upon  a policy  adverse  to  indiscriminate  gratuitous 
treatment.  At  Pyeng  Yang,  in-patients  bring  their  own  bed- 
ding and  pay  sixty  cents  a day  for  food,  while  each  dispensary 
patient  pays  five  cents.  At  Seoul  the  regular  fee  for  in-pa- 
tients is  twelve  cents  a day,  which  is  supposed  to  cover  food 
and  fuel.  As  a matter  of  fact,  the  majority  do  not  pay,  but 
are  taken  on  charity.  In  the  dispensary,  charges  are  made  in 
proportion  to  the  value  of  the  medicines.  At  Fusan  there  has 
been  special  success  in  increasing  receipts,  while  turning  no 
one  away  because  he  cannot  pay.  (5)  There  would  seem  to  be 
some  room  for  sharper  application  of  the  Manual  rules  regard- 
ing receipts  on  the  field  in  some  cases,  and  also  for  more  rigid 
adherence  to  the  instructions  of  the  Manual  as  to  estimates, 
which  require  a statement  of  the  total  estimated  expenses  and 
total  estimated  receipts,  request  being  made  for  an  appropria- 
tion equal  to  the  excess  of  the  former  over  the  latter,  and  all 
of  the  latter  passing  into  the  treasury  of  the  Board.  (6)  Dr. 
Avison  has  in  Seoul  a class  of  seven  in  the  hospital  who  are 
studying  medicine  with  him.  Two  of  these  support  themselves 
wholly;  to  twoonly  their  food  is  given.  All  work  as  assistants 
in  the  dispensary  and  wards.  The  work  is  rendered  difficult 
because  of  the  want  of  all  text-books  and  of  all  medical  and 
anatomical  terms  in  the  native  language. 


32 


IV.  Woman’s  Work. — “Ten  years  ago,”  wrote  Mrs.  Un- 
derwood, a year  ago,  “it  was  thought  hardly  safe  for  ladies  to 
enter  Korea  as  missionaries,  and  seven  years  ago  the  writer’s 
life  was  threatened  on  the  street  and  her  chair-bearers  told 
they  should  die  if  they  carried  her  to  the  hospital,  so  that  it 
was  necessary  to  go  there  on  horseback  for  a day  or  two.” 
Now  women  live  and  travel  anywhere,  and  the  work  among 
the  native  women  has  grown  and  prospered  scarcely  less  than 
among  the  men.  When  Mrs.  Gifford  left  Seoul  for  her  fur- 
lough last  year,  the  Christians  insisted  on  carrying  her  chair 
for  her,  and  all  her  baggage.  They  paid  her  fare  from  Seoul 
to  Chemulpo.  A great  crowd,  with  presents,  accompanied  her, 
and  as  her  steamer  sailed  off  they  sat  on  a hill,  with  banners, 
singing  Christian  songs.  In  Pyeng  Yang  the  work  has  grown 
so  that  the  men  alone  fill  the  old  church,  though  it  has  been 
four  or  five  different  times  enlarged  ; therefore  the  women  are 
obliged  to  have  a church  of  their  own,  which  they  crowd  full, 
while  a blind  helper,  whose  want  of  sight  renders  it  proper  for 
him  to  work  among  them,  preaches  as  true  a Gospel  as  can  be 
heard  anywhere  in  the  world.  It  would  be  easy  to  write  from 
my  notes  many  pages  illustrative  of  the  way  the  Gospel  has  laid 
hold  of  the  women,  transformed  some  of  them,  quickened  their 
intellectual  life,  purged  them  of  vilest  sins,  made  them  clean, 
intelligent,  active.  It  has  wonderfully  blessed  the  homes  of 
these  women.  The  Korean  woman  is  somewhat  like  the  Mos- 
lem woman  in  her  home  life.  The  woman’s  quarters  are 
usually  separate  and  she  must  not  be  too  much  seen.  The 
Gospel  has  meant  liberty  and  love  to  her.  At  the  close  of  a long 
interview  with  a congregation  of  women,  I asked,  “Do  your 
husbands  treat  you  more  lovingly  since  they  became  Christians?” 
“According  to  "Korean  custom,”  one  replied,  “men  look  down 
on  wives  and  beat  them.  I see  my  son  who  is  a Christian, 
treating  his  wife  with  love.  I have  not  experienced  it.  My 
husband  is  not  a Christian.”  There  was  a moment  of  silence 
then,  and  another  said  softly,  “My  husband  is  different  now. 
He  loves  me.” 

Except  in  Seoul  all  the  work  for  women  thus  far  has  been 
done  by  missionary  wives.  With  all  of  their  home  cares,  learn- 
ing the  language,  and  the  mastery  of  the  practical  details  of  life' 
in  a new  mission  field,  they  have  still  found  time  and  strength 
for  a glorious  work.  In  Seoul  there  have  been  unmarried' 
women  for  the  work  also,  and  there  is  room  for  more,  especial- 
ly for  teaching  the  women  and  for  country  work.  The  rein- 
forcements sent  this  year  should  be  sufficient  to^  meet  the  more: 
urgent  needs. 


33 


A large  number  of  native  Christian  women  are  voluntary^, 
unpaid  workers.  A woman  of  means  in  northern  Whang 
Hai  Do  has  put  up  a church  in  her  community,  and  also  travels 
about  at  her  own  charges  as  a woman  leader.  At  least  one 
appropriation  for  a woman  helper  has  been  made,  but  I think 
none  have  been  employed,  except  teachers  of  schools.  “I  raise 
the  question,”  said  one  member  in  mission  meeting,  “whether 
this  is  not  a better  policy  than  paying  any  woman  a salary  for 
work.  To  pay  a woman  worker  might  secure  larger  present 
numbers,  but  would  not  the  work  be  stronger  and  more  lasting 
if  we  build  it  up  without  money,  using  that  only  for  expenses 
of  travel,  etc.,  when  we  take  a girl  or  woman  with  us  for  work 
in  the  country?”  “Yes,”  said  another,  “the  woman  helper 
whom  I had  with  me  last  got  her  rice,  but  received  no  pay.” 
“Let  us  use  many  women,”  added  Mrs.  Baird,  “rather  than  one 
or  a few,  in  work.  This  will  train  a larger  number  and  avoid 
many  troubles.”  “Some  say,”  concluded  the  first,  “that  we 
need  paid  women  helpers  as  deaconesses,  but  we  have  deacon- 
ess work  done  in  the  Chang  Dong  church  by  voluntary  women 
helpers.”  Such  a grov/ing  work  on  such  a sound  basis  is  a 
great  comfort.  Mrs.  Underwood  closes  the  article  which  sup- 
plies the  quotation  at  the  beginning  of  this  section,  with  the 
words:  “We  are  not  as  eager  to  see  a large  number  of  women 
entered  on  our  rolls  as  to  be  sure  that  the  Gospel  in  purity 
and  simplicity  is  being  spread  far  and  wide.” 

V.  Missionaries. — I have  already  expressed  to  the  Board 
the  conviction  which  intimate  intercourse  with  the  mission- 
aries in  Persia,  China,  and  Japan  was  constantly  deepening, 
regarding  their  character  and  abilities.  I heard  Dr.  Stalker 
say  once  that  he  had  formed  the  opinion,  after  careful  and 
wide  observation,  that  the  average  missionary  was  a little 
stronger  intellectually  and  a little  better  spiritually  than  the 
average  minister  at  home.  However  that  may  be,  the  mission- 
aries are  better  men  and  women  even  than  I had  before  judged 
them  to  be ; more  sensible,  more  attractively  human  and  sane, 
more  earnest,  more  open  to  improvement,  more  energetic, 
more  judicious  than  my  ideal  of  them,  which  was  already  high. 
The  missionaries  are  seen  to  the  best  advantage  in  the  midst 
of  their  work.  What  they  are  seen  to  be  there  is  the  best  an- 
swer to  criticisms  upon  their  earnestness,  devotion,  or  judg- 
ment. 

The  Korean  missionaries  rank  high  in  all  of  these  qualities. 
The  opinion  of  Mr.  Sill,  who  was  LTnited  States  Minister  at  the- 
time  of  our  visit,  would  be  confirmed  by  all  who  know  them: 
“The  missionaries  here  are  a strong,  level-headed,  efficient 
body  of  men.  They  are  a remarkable  lot.  I have  had  great-. 


34 


€st  pleasure  in  associating  with  them.  Some  people  say 
missionaries  are  a troublesome  lot,  but  I have  never  met  men 
more  sensible,  more  easy  to  get  along  with.  I think  highly  of 
them.” 

The  relations  between  the  missionaries  and  the  natives  is 
in  the  main  delightful,  though  some  find  it  difficult  to  maintain 
that  balance  between  the  spirit  of  complete  confidence  and 
trust  and  the  judgment  of  scrutiny  and  care  which  is  as  neces- 
sary as  it  is  hard,  for  many.  It  is  indispensable  both  to  trust 
and  to  inspire  trust  on  one  hand,  and  to  avoid  self-deception 
or  rash  over-confidence  on  the  other. 

The  language  examinations  prescribed  by  the  Mission  are 
very  thorough,  and  the  Examination  Committee  is  charged 
with  a wide  responsibility,  which  it  is  to  be  feared  is  allowed  to 
be  slighted  at  times.  The  Mission  rule,  however,  is  as  follows: 

‘‘Article  II. — The  Examination  Committee  shall  not  only 
examine,  but  act  as  an  advisory  committee  along  the  line  of  the 
studies  of  the  new  missionaries,  and  shall  arrange  for  quarterly 
examinations  during  the  first  two  years.  The  Examination 
Committee  shall  notify  new  missionaries,  on  their  arrival,  of 
the  course  of  study  and  the  person  to  whose  oversight  they 
have  been  assigned.  No  missionary  shall  be  considered  to 
have  passed  the  final  examination  (except  in  the  case  of  mar- 
ried ladies)  until  he  or  she  has  passed  at  least  two  of  the  an- 
nual examinations  before  a majority  of  the  members  of  the  Ex- 
amination Committee.” 

It  is  the  practice  of  the  Korea  Mission  to  employ  language 
teachers  for  the  married  women,  rather  than  to  try  to  have  one 
teacher  suffice  for  a husband  and  wife.  The  estimates  for  the 
current  year  asked  for  twenty-six  teachers,  for  twenty-eight 
missionaries,  including  wives,  at  an  estimated  expense  of  yen 
2,972.  It  has  been  felt  that  husbands  and  wives  would  want 
to  be  using  their  teachers  in  the  mornings  at  the  same  time ; or 
even  if  they  did  not,  that  a teacher  who  had  been  worked  hard 
all  morning  would  not  be  a satisfactory  teacher,  though  he 
might  be  employed  on  other  work,  in  the  afternoon.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  some  of  the  teachers  have  been  rather  secreta- 
ries, or  mission  helpers,  than  genuine  language  teachers,  and 
should  be  so  entered  in  the  estimates.  Not  enough  re^l  lan- 
guage study  is  done  to  employ  the  time  of  twenty-six  teachers 
for  it.  I think  it  is  fair  to  raise  the  question  whether  there 
might  not  be  some  room  for  economy  here,  and  yet  it  is  not  de- 
sirable to  force  this  unduly,  at  the  expense  of  thorough  mas- 
tery of  the  language. 

The  sanitary  condition  of  Korean  cities  is  bad,  but  it  is 


35 

not  worse  than  that  of  Chinese  cities,  if  as  bad.  And  the  sum- 
mers in  Seoul,  which  is  set  in  a cup  in  the  hills  of  yellow  gran- 
ite sand  and  black  rock,  are  said  to  be  very  hot.  But  in  the 
main,  Korea  is  an  exceptionally  healthful  country,  and  some 
of  our  stations  are  as  good  as  sanitariums,  the  missionaries 
themselves  declare.  The  regular  Manual  provisions  regard- 
ing term  of  service  and  furloughs  work  no  hardship  at  all  in 
the  case  of  Korea  missionaries. 

The  cost  of  living  in  Korea  is  unquestionably  higher  than 
in  China.  Wages  are  higher,  and  prices  of  produce  as  well. 
The  silver  dollar  in  Korea  buys  only  500  cash,  while  in  China 
it  buys  from  800  to  1,000.  Somewhat  larger  salaries  seem  to 
be  justified. 

Objections  to  unmarried  men  missionaries  in  Korea  lie 
with  equal  force,  so  far  as  these  objections  refer  to  misunder- 
standing and  slander,  against  unmarried  women  and  even 
against  married  men.  In  all  cases  missionaries  have  to  es- 
tablish their  characters,  and  live  down  misconception ; and  dif- 
ficulties on  this  score  ought  not  to  constitute  a barrier  deny- 
ing to  unmarried  men  the  privilege  of  missionary  work  in 
Korea.  For  men  like  Mr.  Moffett,  Mr.  Whittemore,  and  Mr. 
Hunt  there  is  a large  field. 

One  question  which  emerged  in  the  mission  meeting  re- 
ferred to  the  principles  which  should  control  a missionary  in 
the  use  of  private  funds.  Can  such  funds  be  used  wholly  with- 
out restraint?  I expressed  the  opinion  that  such  funds  should 
never  be  used  in  a way  contrary  to  Mission  policy,  nor  in  forms 
of  work  not  wholly  approved  by  the  Mission  nor  in  such  a 
way  as  to  constrain  Mission  action,  or  involve  Mission  respon- 
sibility without  its  approval,  or  the  Board’s  responsibility 
without  its  approval. 

IV*  Problems  and  Dangers* 

I.  One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  Korean 
Church  is  its  patriotism.  Our  belated  coasting  vessel  de- 
posited us  in  North  Korea  on  a Sunday  morning,  and  along 
the  river  Mr.  Lee  called  our  attention  to  villages  in  which,  on 
bamboo  poles,  small  Korean  flags  were  flying.  These  flags 
marked  the  residences  of  Christians,  or  were  flying  over  the 
churches.  It  is  a practice  which  has  grown  up  among  the 
Christians  without  missionary  suggestion,  to  run  up  the  na- 
tional colors  over  their  homes  and  churches  on  Sunday.  They 
do  it  to  proclaim  the  character  of  the  day,  and  to  mark  their 
own  respect  for  it.  Some  of  the  leading  Koreans  in  Seoul 
have  organized  an  Independence  Club  and  have  laid  out  an 
Independence  Park  and  built  an  Independence  Arch  and  es- 


36 

tablished  an  Independence  Day,  the  sixteenth  day  of  the 
seventh  Korean  month,  in  celebration  of  their  independence  of 
China,  brought  about  through  the  war.  These  are  the  ad- 
vanced and  liberal  men.  The  reactionary  Confucianists  hun- 
ger for  the  good  old  iniquitous  days.  The  leading  spirit  in 
the  progressive  movement  was  Dr.  Jaishon,a  native  Korean,  who 
is  a naturalized  American  citizen,  and  a member  of  Dr.  Ham- 
lin’s church  in  Washington,  an  attractive,  able,  and  earnest 
man.  His  representative  character  as  a Christian,  a leading 
progressive,  the  editor  of  the  main  vernacular  newspaper,which 
speaks  out  with  unflinching  boldness  and  also  publishes  an 
English  edition,  and  as  a man  who  was  given  official  position 
when  the  progressive  movement  was  dominant,  has  great  in- 
fluence in  identifying  the  Christian  cause  with  the. cause  of 
Korean  independence  and  progress.  Most  of  the  patriotic 
demonstrations  were  made  by  the  Christians  while  we  were 
in  Korea.  In  Pyeng  Yang  they  had  a great  picnic  on 
Independence  Day.  No  one  else  observed  the  day.  On 
the  King’s  birthday,  which  fell  on  Sunday,  they  listened 
to  patriotic  sermons  in  churches  decorated  profusely  with 
national  flags.  The  next  day  they  had  in  Seoul  a great  open-air 
mass-meeting,  addressed  by  Dr.  Jaisohn,  by  the  Mayor  of 
Seoul,  formerly  Minister  in  Washington,  whose  wife  is  a Chris- 
tian, and  by  the  Assistant  Minister  of  Education,  a devout 
Christian,  who  was  a member  of  the  Korean  embassy  to  the 
Czar’s  coronation,  and  who  was  educated  in  the  United  States. 
On  the  last  Sunday  we  were  in  Korea,  another  great  mass- 
meeting was  held  in  a royal  building,  at  which  half  a dozen 
spoke,  and  some  of  the  speeches  ran  into  the  same  fervent  po- 
litical strain.  One  spoke  on  the  text  which  describes  the  apos- 
tolic missionaries  as  men  who  were  turning  the  world  upside 
down,  and  pointed  out  how,  in  Korea,  men  had  been  really 
standing  on  their  heads  in  the  mud.  “The  missionaries  have 
come  to  right  things.  Society  must  be  turned  upside  dowm. 
There  is  no  hope  in  the  upper  classes.  Christianity  begins  at 
the  bottom.  After  all,  a man’s  a man,  be  he  king,  noble,  or 
coolie.”  Then  a voice  in  the  crowd  said  “What  kind  of  talk 
is  this?”  “Christianity  is  no  Tong  hak  or  rebellious  doctrine,” 
the  speaker  went  on.  “It  teaches  only  to  worship  God,  fear 
no  man  and  do  right.”  “Whom  have  we  to  fear?”  asked  the 
next  speaker.  “Who  is  there  to  trust  except  God?  Great 
men?  If  you  stick  a knife  into  them  it  will  hurt  just  as  it 
would  hurt  me.  No;  trust  God  only  and  we  shall  win. 
Christ’s  kingdom  will  prevail.  Where  is  Alexander’s  empire? 
Where  are  Greece  and  Rome?  Gone  utterly!  And  where  is 
Christ?  Ruling  everywhere.  It  cannot  end  otherwise.  Right 


37 

and  God  and  Jesns  will  win.  There  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  not  expect  to  see  a Christian  king  on  the  throne  of  Ko- 
rea!” No  such  free  and  stirring  speech  as  this  had  ever  been, 
heard  in  Korea  before. 

The  reasons  for  this  fervid  patriotism  among  the  Chris- 
tians are  manifold.  One  is  that  Christianity  has  quickened 
and  vivified  the  minds  of  the  people  and  given  them  bold- 
ness of  speech,  so  that  they  now  see  the  abuses  of  the  past  and 
the  glory  of  independence,  and  are  able  to  reason  dauntlessly 
about  such  things.  TVnother  is  that  Christianity  is  essentially 
an  emancipating  religion,  and  leads  inevitably  to  the  desire 
for  free  government  and  pure  and  popular  institutions.  Yet 
another  is  that  the  Catholics  have  always  erred  in  the  want  of 
patriotism,  and,  indeed,  in  being  guilty  of  downright  treason 
to  Korea.  Coming  out  into  Protestant  enlightenment  just, 
at  the  time  that  Korea  was  being  roughly  hustled  by  Japan  into* 
the  paths  of  civilization  quite  a little  against  its  will ; and  them 
seeing  Japan’s  grasp  failing,  and  the  country  standing  without 
true  heart  or  strong  mind,  the  Christians  have  been  roused  to 
speak  out  boldly  for  their  King,  to  be  sure,  but  also  for  right- 
eous government  and  just  laws.  A further  reason  is  to  be 
found  in  the  influence  of  some  leading  men  who  recognize  that 
the  one  hope  of  the  country  lies  in  the  power  of  Christianity 
and  Christian  education.  One  of  these  said  to  me,  “The  only 
hope  of  the  country  is  in  the  churches.  There  is  no  moral' 
character  in  Korea.  It  is  being  created  in  the  churches. 
There  is  no  cohesion,  or  unity,  or  confidence  among  men.  There 
is  no  company  of  men,  however  small,  capable  of  acting  to- 
gether. The  churches  are  raising  up  bands  of  men  who  know- 
how to  combine  for  a common  object,  who  are  quickened  in- 
tellectually, and  are  full  of  character,  courage,  and  hope.  To- 
convert  and  educate  the  common  people  is  the  only  hope  of  the 
land.”  Some  Korea  magistrates  hold  these  same  views. 

There  is  a great  deal  that  is  hopeful  and  encouraging  in 
this,  but  there  is  also  a danger  that  Christianity  may  be  po- 
liticalized, if  I may  use  a barbarous  word.  As  it  is,  in  some 
places  the  people  think  the  Christians  are  partisans  of  the  West 
and  of  Western  civilization,  and  are  not  true  Koreans  a.ny~ 
more.  When  they  cut  off  their  absurd  top-knots,  as  many  are- 
doing,  and  put  on  foreign  clothes,  as  a few  have  done,  the  idea' 
gains  added  support.  In  his  last  evangelistic  report  Dr.  Un- 
derwood cites  a striking  case  of  confusion  of  Christianity  with: 
political  influence,  which  illustrates  in  part  this  danger: 

“At  Keum  Chun,  an  offshoot  of  this  work,  a church  Has; 
been  purchased  and  the  work  progresses  well..  At  Pyeng; 


San,  a joint  offshoot  from  Chaing  Yung  and  Pai  Chun,  a very 
promising  work  has  commenced.  These  three  places  have 
passed  through  considerable  trial,  through  the  rascality  of 
some  four  or  five  men,  who,  though  never  reckoned  as  Chris- 
tians by  the  Christians,  announced  themselves  such,  and  se- 
curing the  assistance  of  the  weak  magistrates  of  Chairyung, 
Pong  San  and  Pyung  San,  brought  no  little  discredit  upon 
the  cause  of  Christ.  These  men  went  to  the  magistrates,  and 
•stating  that  they  had  been  appointed  Christian  leaders 
by  Mr.  Underwood  of  Seoul,  and  without  civil  authority  it  was 
impossible  to  make  the  Christians  do  right,  they  asked  and  re- 
ceived from  these  magistrates  official  documents,  appointing 
them  Christian  leaders,  and  ordering  all  to  whom  these  pa- 
pers should  be  presented  to  obey  them.  Whether  the  magis- 
trates were  intimidated  into  doing  this,  or  whether  a monetary 
consideration  assisted  in  the  procuring  of  these  papers  I do  not 
know,  but  that  the  documents  were  given  with  magisterial 
seals  affixed,  I know,  for  they  are  now  in  my  study.  Armed 
with  these  papers,  they  went  through  that  section,  extorting 
money,  ordering  arrests,  commanding  magistrates  to  decide 
cases  in  their  favor,  and  dressed  in  foreign  clothes,  with  rifles 
and  swords,  intimidated  the  people  generally.  The  prompt  ac- 
tion of  the  Chang  Yun  church  helped  not  a little  to  restore 
confidence  in  true  Christianity. 

“Deacon  An,  having  been  appointed  to  go  down  to  Pyung 
San  and  announce  to  the  people  that  we  had  nothing  to  do 
with  these  so-called  Christians,  who  were  only  brigands,  ar- 
rived at  a village  just  as  these  men,  with  much  paraphernalia 
and  blasphemy,  were  on  the  point  of  carrying  on  some  of  their 
so-called  Christian  rites.  They  had  forced  the  people  of  the 
village  to  prepare  a grand  feast  for  them,  and  had  compelled 
the  wealthiest  man  to  give  them  a large  sum  of  money.  Dea- 
con An,  entering  the  room  where  the  meeting  was  to  be  held, 
found  the  Bible  and  some  Christian  books  upon  the  table, 
over  which  a white  cloth  had  been  spread.  I am  told  that 
wherever  they  went,  they  pretended  great  reverence  for  the 
Bible  and  Christian  books.  Unarmed  and  alone,  as  he  was, 
Brother  An  arose,  denounced  the  leaders  as  imposters,  and  de- 
manded the  return  of  the  stolen  money.  His  cause  being 
righteous,  his  boldness  w^on  the  day.  He  urged  the  people  not 
to  retaliate,  to  use  only  legal  means,  and  w^ent  with  them  to  lay 
the  matter  before  the’  magistrates.  It  took  considerable  cor- 
respondence between  the  American  Legation,  the  Foreign  Of- 
fice, Home  Office,  the  governor  of  the  province,  and  the  mag- 
istrates before  the  matter  w^as  straightened.” 

The  views  of  the  missionaries  on  this  subject  are  alto- 


39 

gether  clear  and  satisfactory.  They  wish  Christianity  to  be  in- 
troduced and  extended  as  a spiritual  movement,  and  ar6 
striving, .Jas  far  as  they  can,  to  discourage  the  political  idea. 
Perhaps  I exaggerate  the  danger ; but  there  seems  to  me  to  be 
need  of  the  most  careful  and  judicious  direction  of  the  native 
Church,  lest  it  swing  loose  or  be  some  time  misled  or  misused. 
Or,  if  these  perils  are  only  imaginary,  there  is  at  least  need 
that  wrong  notions  of  Christianity  do  not  get  foothold  among 
those  outside  of  the  Church.  Christianity  is  sure  to  bear  civil 
and  social  fruits.  These  will  be  sound  and  valuable  in  propor- 
tion as  they  are  the  fruits  of  a spiritual  and  unworldly  Chris- 
tianity. 

II.  The  present  political  situation  in  Korea  furnishes 
added  reason  for  the  greatest  prudence  and  caution.  The 
murder  of  the  queen  at  the  instigation  of  Viscount  Miura,  the 
Japanese  Minister,  in  October,  1895,  and  the  consequent  flight 
of  the  king  from  his  palace,  and  from  the  control  of  the  Jap- 
anese, to  the  Russian  Legation,  put  Japanese  influence  in  Ko- 
rea at  an  end,  and  turned  Korea  over  to  Russia  as  completely 
as  though  Russia  had  waged  the  war  with  China  for 
the  possession  of  the  land.  Of  course  Japan  had  dis- 
avowed any  but  the  most  superior  altrustic  motives  in 
the  war.  She  was  aiming  to  introduce  Korea  to  civ- 
ilization, and  to  become  herself  the  pilot  of  all  Asia  into  light.. 
And  while  she  had  control  of  Korea  she  introduced  many  ad- 
mirable reforms,  placing  Korea  under  the  deepest  obligations 
to  her.  It  was  the  sincere  and  honest  desire  of  the  Japanese 
Government  to  help  Korea  and  purify  her.  It  was  done  in  a 
bungling  way — a v/ay  that  alienated  the  Koreans  and  made 
the  Japanese  detested  throughout  the  whole  country — but  the 
motive  was  good,  and  many  of  the  results  were  admirable. 
Then  the  fatal  and  wicked  blunder  of  October  8th  brought  the 
thing  to  an  end.  Since  the  Japanese  left,  the  country  has  been 
dropping  back  into  its  old  ways.  Squeezing,  unjust  taxation,, 
offlce  buying  and  selling,  have  been  resumed.  Mr.  Weber,  the 
Russian  Minister,  and  Mr.  McLeavy  Brown,  the  head  of  the 
Customs  and  adviser  to  the  Treasury,  stemmed  the  current ; 
but  Mr.  Weber  did  not  feel  the  call  to  the  mission  of  reform,, 
as  the  Japanese  felt  it,  and  he  has  now  been  succeeded  by  Mr. 
Speyer,  who  is  said  to  be  a man  of  different  mood,  with  whom 
Russia  will  be  more  and  Korea  less,  and  there  was  danger  of 
the  removal,  under  his  pressure,  of  Mr.  Brown.  There  would 
seem  to  be  few  obstacles  now  in  the  way  of  the  descent  to 
Avernus.  The  Korean  king,  who  is  neither  a strong  nor  a 
good  man,  will  find  it  easy,  and  a great  host  of  panderers  and 
leeches  will  assist  his  descent.  The  Russians  will  prevent  too 


40 


much  injustice,  but  will  not  assist  any  over-progressiveness, 
and  will  probably  encourage  a stationary  condition  pf  things. 
The  general  tone  of  the  Government  at  present  is  illustrated 
by  this  royal  edict,  contained  in  the  Government  Gazette  of 
August  19th: 

“Edict — We  have  been  blessed  by  Merciful  Heaven,  and 
we  have  been  guided  by  the  royal  spirits  of  our  illustrious  an- 
cestors in  directing  State  affairs.  But  when  we  reflect  upon 
ourselves,  we  realize  that  we  are  not  worthy  of  being  trusted 
with  so  great  a duty  as  to  rule  the  country  of  our  royal  an- 
‘Cestors.  This  thought  causes  us  constant  worry  and  discom- 
fort. However,  through  heaven’s  bountiful  blessing,  our 
•country  has  been  peaceful,  and  many  auspicious  omens  have 
manifested  themselves  since  our  reign.  We,  instead  of  doing 
•our  duty  more  diligently  under  the  auspicious  circumstances, 
have  become  negligent  in  the  duties  which  we  owe  to  the  na- 
tion, resulting  in  a general  confusion  and  perversion  through- 
out the  country.  At  last  a most  irreparable  calamity  has  vis- 
ited the  royal  family,  which  event  we  cannot  bear  to  speak  of 
again.  It  was  solely  due  to  our  unpopularity  that  such  a hor- 
rible event  happened. 

“After  that  event  the  traitors  had  their  own  way  in  the 
management  of  the  State  affairs.  They  destroyed  the  old  cus- 
toms of  the  country,  and  abolished  the  formalities  of  cere- 
monies and  sacrifices.  But,  fortunately,  we  have  re-estab- 
lished some  of  the  ancient  customs,  and  made  some  recoveries 
in  those  matters  relating  to  the  welfare  of  the  country.  We 
have  cultivated  the  friendship  of  a neighboring  power,  and  re- 
gained our  independent  rights.  In  looking  over  the  old  his- 
tory, we  find  that  during  the  Chu  dynasty  the  country  became 
more  prosperous  after  the  reign  of  Emperors  Sung  and  Kang; 
during  the  Han  dynasty  the  country  \vas  regenerated  after  the 
reign  of  the  Emperors  Mun  and  Kyeng.  Therefore  we  in- 
formed heaven,  earth,  and  the  royal  spirits  of  our  ancestors, 
on  the  16th  day  of  this  month,  that  we  are  going  to  reform  our 
■country  in  the  sam.e  manner  as  was  done  during  the  Chu  and 
Han  dynasties.  We  have  changed  the  name  of  the  current 
year  to  the  first  year  of  ‘Kwangmu,’  and  we  have  asked  the 
help  and  guidance  of  heaven  and  the  ancestral  spirits.  In  or- 
der to  be  like  our  royal  ancestors,  we  hereby  issue  this  new  de- 
cree to  show  that  we  are  anxious  to  imitate  the  deeds  of  our 
forefathers.  Let  this  decree  be  known  far  and  near. 

“(i)  We  have  amply  gratified  the  desires  of  our  officials 
by  paying  them  sufficient  salaries.  They  must  respond  to  our 
kindness  by  being  loyal  to  us  and  just  to  the  people.  They 
must  not  take  bribes,  squeeze  public  money,  or  rob  helpless 


41 

•citizens.  From  the  i6th  day  of  this  month,  if  any  official  of 
the  Government  violates  these  rules  he  will  not  escape  lawful 
punishment.  (2)  The  War  Office  must  grant  substantial  re- 
lief to  the  families  of  meretorious  soldiers  who  have  rendered 
valuable  services  during  the  riots  and  disturbances  in  the  in- 
terior. (3)  The  provincal  officials  are  allowed  to  report  the 
names  of  the  dutiful  sons  and  pure-minded  men  in  their  dis- 
tricts to  the  departments,  and  the  departments  must  give  them 
offices  in  the.  Government.  (4)  It  is  the  law  of  generations 
that  murderers  must  be  made  to  confess  their  crime,  therefore, 
hereafter  all  murderers  must  make  confession  before  being  ex- 
ecuted. (5)  To  reduce  the  sentences  of  those  prisoners  whose 
offences  are  other  than  conspiracy,  robbery,  murder  and  im- 
morality. (6)  To  relieve  the  widows  and  orphans  in  the  in- 
terior. (7)  To  rebuild  temples  and  shrines  throughout  the 
country  by  the  local  officials.  (8)  To  repair  roads  and  bridges. 

“Alas,  while  we  endeavor  to  do  our  best  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  matters  enumerated  above,  we  depend  large- 
ly upon  the  assistance  of  our  officials.  We  hereby  order  every 
civil  and  military  official  in  the  Government  to  offer  his  most 
hearty  cooperation,  so  that  we  may  deserve  the  blessings  from 
above,  and  we  will  be  able  to  purify  the  world.  Let  this  be 
made  knov^^n  to  all.” 

Notwithstanding  this,  there  are  some  good  men  in  office, 
and  the  Korean  people  are  a good  people.  As  a whole,  they 
have  fine  qualities,  and  with  a liberal  and  enlightened  govern- 
ment they  would  develop  into  a useful  and  prosperous  nation. 
At  present, however,the  political  conditions  are  reactionary.  A 
misdirected  identification  of  Christianity  with  a liberal  or 
progressive  political  movement,  would  invite  the  disfavor  and 
opposition  of  officials  who  are  now  neutral  if  they  are  not 
friendly,  while  it  would  incur  the  displeasure  of  the  “neighbor- 
ing power,”  whose  friendship,  the  King  says,  he  has  cultivated, 
and  whom  it  is  unwise  for  anyone  to  affront.  The  reforms 
Japan  inaugurated  may  be  undone.  Any  political  reforms  may 
be.  Let  us  with  complete  circumspection  inaugurate  such 
spiritual  reforms  as  can  never  be  undone.  Let  us  avoid  all 
implication  with  political  movements  within  or  without.  Let 
us  give  no  offense  to  any.  . 

III.  A problem  which  has  been  much  before  the  Mis- 
'sion,  and  has  received  exhaustive  discussion,  is  the  matter  of 
Bible  translation.  Shortly  after  the  missionaries  reached  Ko- 
rea they  took  up  this  subject,  and  at  a meeting  held  in  Seoul, 
February  7th,  1887,  a Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee 
was  appointed,  which  adopted  rules  for  its  guidance,  of  which 
the  following  are  the  more  important: 


42 


‘"Art.  II.  This  committee  shall  consist  of  two  members 
from  each  Protestant  Evangelical  Mission  until  such  time  as 
six  missionary  societies  shall  be  represented,  when  one  mem- 
ber from  each  society  shall  constitute  the  committee.  The  de- 
termination of  right  to  membership  lies  with  the  committee  in 
behalf  of  the  Protestant  Evangelical  Missions. 

“Art.  VII.  (i)  The  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Commit- 
tee shall  have  in  charge  the  translation,  revision,  publication 
and  conservation  of  the  text  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the 
foreign  tongue. 

“(2)  This  committee  shall  have  power  to  select  a board  of 
five  (5)  official  translators.  Should  the  exigencies  of  the  work 
seem  to  reqiiire  it,  this  Board  of  Translators  may  be  reduced 
by  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  to  not  less  than 
three,  and  increased  to  not  more  than  seven.  The  Permanent 
Executive  Bible  Committee  shall  have  power  to  declare  and 
fill  vacancies  on  the  Board  of  Official  Translators  only  at  reg- 
ular meetings. 

“(3)  When  the  Board  of  Official  Translators  shall  report 
that  any  complete  book  is  ready  for  the  press,  the  Permanent 
Executive  Bible  Committee  shall  publish  a tentative  edition, 
and  shall  circulate  it  among  missionaries  and  others  for  three 
years,  with  requests  for  criticisms. 

“Art.  VIII.  When  a manuscript  has  been  duly  passed  and 
published,  and  been  before  the  public  for  criticism  for  three 
years,  then  this  tentative  version  shall  be  taken  with  the  criti- 
cisms received,  and  returned  to  the  Board  of  Official  Transla- 
tors for  revision.  After  said  revision,  the  Permanent  Execu- 
tive Bible  Committee  shall  publish  it  as  the  authorized  version 
until  such  time  as  that  committee  shall  see  fit  to  order  a fur- 
ther revision.  Other  societies  or  individuals  wishing  to  use 
the  text  of  the  tentative  or  authorized  version,  changing  terms 
to  suit  their  special  views,  may  be  so  allowed  at  the  discretion 
of  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee. 

“Art.  X.  All  questions  arising  among  the  official  translat- 
ors, as  well  as  the  passing  of  a document,  shall  be  determined 
by  a majority  vote  of  that  body ; it  being  understood  that  in  a 
board  of  less  than  five,  at  least  three  votes  must  be  cast  in 
order  to  pass  a manuscript. 

“Art.  XI.  It  shall  be  required  of  the  Board  of  Official 
Translators  that  they  report  the  state  of  their  work  at  each 
regular  meeting  of  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee, 
and  whenever  called  upon  by  the  secretary  of  that  committee. 

•Thus  far  no  “authorized  version”  of  any  portion  of  the  Bi- 
ble, as  defined  in  Article'  VIII,  has  appeared,  nor  has  any 
“tentative  version”  even.  All  that  have  appeared  have  been 


43 

preliminary  and  provisional  individual  versions  more  or  less 
revised  by  other  members  of  the  translating  Board,  but  not 
representing  in  any  case  their  united  judgment.  The  Gospels, 
Acts,  Galatians,  and  James  have  been  issued  in  this  form.  A 
“tentative  version^of  the  first  twenty  chapters  of  Matthew  has 
been  completed,  but  not  published.  Practically  the  whole  of 
the  New  Testament  is  translated  in  some  form  by  individuals, 
but  only  the  above  books  have  been  printed.  Some  wish  to 
rush  the  work  of  Bible  translation.  Others  think  it  will  be  as 
safe  to  go  slowly,  as  the  work  will  all  be  revised  shortly  in  any 
event.  There  are  some,  in  other  Missions,  perhaps,  who  could 
facilitate  the  progress  of  the  work  if  they  could  give  it  time, 
and  in  other  regards  more  might  be  done.  The  following 
actions  of  the  mission  meeting  look  in  this  direction: 

“A  resolution  was  carried  to  the  effect  that  this  Mission 
urge  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  to  request 
each  Mission  having  members  on  the  Board  of  Translators, 
as  far  as  possible  to  release  them  from  other  work,  and  to  ap- 
point them  to  give  their  main  time  and  strength  to  this  work..  . 

‘‘A  motion  was  passed  that  we  instruct  our  representatives 
on  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee,  to  request  that 
committee  to  urge  the  Board  of  Translators  to  present  for 
printing  as  rapidly  as  possible,  individual  translations  of  books 
not  yet  presented.  . . . 

“A  resolution  was  in  due  course  passed  that  we  reiterate 
the  original  condition  upon  which  we  entered  upon  the  union 
translation  of  the  Bible,  to  the  effect  that  members  of  the  Board 
of  Translators  should  not  at  the  same  time  also  be  members 
upon  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee;  and  that  we 
earnestly  request  such  Missions  as  have  the  same  representa- 
tives upon  both  these  bodies,  to  take  such  steps  as  are  neces- 
sary to  conform  to  this  condition. 

“Also  another  resolution  recommending  to  the  Permanent 
Executive  Bible  Committee  that  Article  II.  of  its  Constitution 
be  amended  by  adding  to  it,  ‘No  member  of  the  Board  of  Offi- 
cial Translators  shall  be  eligible  to  a position  on  the  Perma- 
nent Executive  Bible  Committee, and  when  at  any  time  a mem- 
ber of  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  shall  be  se- 
lected as  a member  of  the  Board  of  Official  Translators  his 
position  on  the  Executive  Committee  shall  be  declared  vacant, 
and  the  Mission  he  represents  so  notified further  instructing 
the  secretary  to  convey  copies  of  the  several  resolutions  passed 
at  this  annual  meeting  respecting  Bible  translation  to  the  Mis- 
sions interested,  to  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee,, 
and  to  the  Bible  Societies. 


44 


“Another  motion  was  also  passed  to  th"e  effect  that  we  ask 
ithe  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  to  take  Article  II. 
‘Of  its  Constitution  into  consideration  with  a view  to  making 
the  basis  of  right  of  membership  on  the  committee  more  ex- 
plicit  

“A  resolution  was  passed  that  we  instruct  our  representa- 
:tives  upon  the  Permanent  Executive  Bible  Committee  to  en- 
• deavor  to  effect  a change  in  the  Constitution  of  that  committee 
'relating  to  the  admission  of  representatives  from  other  Mission 
bodies  on  the  field,  so  altering  it  as  to  give  the  respective  so- 
cieties a representation  as  nearly  as  possible  proportionate  to 
:their  membership.” 

The  Bible  should  be  translated  into  Korean  as  fast  as  it  is 
needed,  and  as  it  can  be  well  done.  There  is  general  agreement 
that  Mr.  Ross’s  version  is  not  satisfactory.  This  was  made 
before  Korea  was  opened  to  Mission  work.  It  has  too  much 
■of  the  Chinese  element  in  it,  and  many  object  to  its  spelling 
and  printing.  The  time  has  come  for  steady  progress  toward 
a satisfactory  version.  The  people  are  asking  for  it.  But 
there  appears  to  be  in  the  minds  of  some  a too  feverish  haste, 
in  justification  of  which,  however,  it  should  be  said  that  they 
feel  that  the  work  has  been  unnecessarily  delayed.  At  the 
same  time,  the  Mission  force  is  small,  the  demands  of  the  active 
evangelistic  work  are  great,  and  there  have  been  many  changes 
'Of  plan  in  the  work  since  it  was  begun.  The  changes  proposed 
by  the  Mission  would  seem  likely  to  accomplish  all  that  can 
well  be  done  now. 

Most  unfortunately,  there  is  a difference  of  opinion  as  to 
the  term  for  God.  The  history  of  the  similar  controversy  in 
China  is  so  sad  that  I marvel  that  the  Korean  missionaries, 
who  have  proven  themselves  so  able  to  profit  by  the  experience 
of  others,  are  starting  out  in  their  own  work,  in  this  regard,  by 
sowing  such  baleful  seed.  The  content  of  the  term  used  must 
be  supplied  by  the  Christian  teachers,  in  any  event,  and  one 
term  is  as  good  as  another,  when  all  must  be  regenerated  and 
refilled  with  meaning.  Or  what  disadvantages  one  term  may 
have  as  compared  with  another  are  as  nothing  compared  with 
the  disadvantages  of  quarrel  and  conflict  over  this  question. 
The  vast  majority  of  the  missionaries  accept  one  term.  One,, 
two,  or  three,  I believe,  hold  to  another,  but  they  are  strong 
and  conscientious.  Such  a disagreement  now  prepares  for 
greater  disagreement  further  on.  It  is  not  necessary  to  know 
the  technical  merits  of  the  controversy,  to  be  able  to  form  a 
judgment  in  such  a case.  The  missionaries  ought  to  agree. 
If  they  will  not,  I should  hope  that  the  Boards  and  Bible  So- 


45 

■cieties  would  do  so.  That  would  probably  settle  the  matter, 
-though  there  will  be  confusion  for  a time. 

IV.  Comity. — Our  Mission  now  occupies  four  stations, 
Fusan,  Gensan,  Seoul,  and  Pyeng  Yang.  The  opening  of  Ta- 
goo  will  make  five.  Tagoo  and  Fusan  are  in  the  province  of 
Kiung  Song,  the  so.utheastern  province.  The  only  other  mis- 
sionaries in  that  province  are  the  Australian  Presbyterians,  and 
we  have  a territorial  division  of  the  field  with  them,  by  which 
the  two  districts  nearest  Fusan  are  regarded  as  joint  territory, 
and  for  the  rest,  they  take  the  land  south  and  wc  the  region 
north  of  the  Naktong  river.  Mr.  Baird  was  the  first  mission- 
ary to  reside  in  this  province.  Gensan  is  in  the  extreme 
northeastern  province  of  Ham  Kiung.  The  Canadian  mis- 
sionaries and  the  Northern  Methodists  are  also  at  work  there, 
and  no  territorial  understanding  exists.  Pyeng  Yang  was 
visited  by  both  Methodists  and  Presbyterian  missionaries  in 
earlier  years,  and  has  been  a common  field  from  the  time  of  its 
permanent  occupation.  Our  work  and  force  have  greatly 
outgrown  the  Methodist’s,  who  have  worked,  in  the  main,  in 
one  direction, westward  and  southwestward.  As  the  work  grows, 
it  is  sure  to  overlap.  The  Southern  Presbyterians  are  working 
in  the  southwestern  province  of  Chiilla,  and  the  Baptist  mis- 
sion from  Dr.  Gordon’s  church  in  Boston,in  the  province  north 
of  Chulla,  Chung  Chong.  The  remaining  provinces  are  the 
three  central  ones:  Kang  Wen,  with  no  missionaries,  and  no 
work  in  it;  Whang  Hai,  worked  from  Pyeng  Yang  and  Seoul 
by  our  missionaries,  and  our  most  fruitful  field ; and  the  capital 
province  Kiung  Kei,  with  our  own  and  the  Northern  and 
Southern  Methodists  in  Seoul,  and  the  latter  also  in  Song-do, 
a large  city,  two  days’  journey  to  the  north. 

The  coming  of  the  Southern  Methodists  led  to  some  diffi- 
culties in  country  stations,  which  were  due  to  native  workers 
in  the  first  instance.  These  difficulties  are  regretted,  and  it  is 
needless  to  discuss  them,  save  to  say  they  made  it  clear  that  a 
sharp  territorial  division  between  the  Methodists’  work  and 
ours  is  desirable.  There  is  plenty  of  unoccupied  territory  for 
them,  and  they  do  not  desire  to  encroach  upon  the  fields  of 
others.  Dr.  Reid,  the  senior  member  of  the  Mission,  says  they 
would  be  willing  to  stay  out  of  Whang  Hai  province  and  to 
work  east  of  Song-do  and  north  of  the  Han  River  and  out  into 
the  unoccupied  eastern  province  of  Kang  Wen.  It  seems  to 
me  that  this  would  be  a good  arrangement,  and  I said  so  to  our 
Mission. 

With  this  understanding  made,  we  should  have  territorial 
adjustments  with  all  of  the  Missions,  save  the  Northern  Meth- 
•odists.  I sincerely  wish  we  might  have  some  division  of  the 


46 

field  with  them.  If  their  work  in  the  Pyeng  Yang  field  were 
as  much  stronger  than  ours,  as  ours  actually  is  stronger  than 
theirs,  I would  be  in  favor  of  turning  that  field  over  to  them 
while  we  took  Ham  Kiung.  As  it  is,  I believe,  it  would  work 
out  for  the  best  interests  of  the  field  if  the  Methodists  would 
exchange  their  Pyeng  Yang  work  for  our  Gensan  work,  and 
would  remove  from  the  former  field  while  we  withdraw  from 
the  latter.  Their  Pyeng  Yang  church  has  28  members  and  235 
probationers.  Their  Gensan  church  had  four  members  in 
May,  and  215  probationers.  It  has  been  enlarged  since.  Our 
Gensan  church  has  as  many  members  nearly  as  the  Methodist 
Pyeng  Yang  church,  while  our  Pyeng  Yang  church*  has  377 
members  and  1723  catechumens  or  probationers.  A division 
of  the  Kiung  Kei  province  could  also  be  made  which  would 
recognize  the  equities  of  either  Mission.  Could  we  not  sug- 
gest such  a division  as  this  to  the  Methodist  Board? 

These  territorial  partitions  are  better  than  rules  designed 
to  prevent  friction  where  Missions  are  occupying  the  same 
ground.  Still  where  no  division  can  be  secured  such  rules  are 
necessary.  The  following  were  adopted  by  the  Northern 
Methodist  and  our  Missions  in  1893: 

“i.  Resolved  that  we  advise  that  as  a general  rule  the 
common  occupation  of  smaller  cities  and  the  districts  around 
them,  is  not  the  most  profitable  way  of  utilizing  our  forces 
but  that  open  ports  and  towns  having  a population  of  over 
5,000  should  be  open  for  common  occupation ; and  especially 
so  when  they  are  needful  bases  for  the  occupation  of  the  re- 
gions beyond. 

''2.  When  a town  of  less  than  5,000  inhabitants  has  been 
established  as  a sub-station  by  the  missionary  in  charge  of  the 
district  (a  sub-station  being  understood  to  be  a place  where 
inquirers  or  Christians  regularly  assemble  for  worship  on  the 
Lord’s  Day,  or  a place  visited  not  less  than  four  times  a year, 
two  visits  at  least  to  be  made  by  the  foreign  missionary  in 
person)  it  should  be  considered  as  occupied,  and  we  deem  it 
inadvisable  for  another  Mission  to  begin  work  there ; but  the 
discontinuauce  of  work  for  six  months  shall  leave  it  an  open 
field. 

“3.  That  societies  wishing  to  begin  new  work  or  to  ex- 
tend. be  strongly  recommended  to  take  into  consideration  un- 
occupied territory,  so  as  speedily  to  cover  the  whole  field. 

‘‘4.  We  recognize  the  inherent  rights  of  every  church- 
member  to  transfer  his  membership  to  another  denomination  ;■ 
but  persons  whose  names  are  on  the  records  of  a church  as- 


*Its  membership  has  more  than  doubled  since  this  report  was  written. 


47 

members  or  candidates, shall  not  be  received  by  another  church 
without  a letter  of  recommendation  from  those  in  chargfe. 

“5.  That  we  mutually  respect  the  acts  of  discipline  of  the 
various  churches. 

“6.  Helpers,  students,  teachers  and  assistants  in  any  de- 
partment of  the  work  shall  not  be  received  in  any  capacity 
whatever  by  another  Mission  without  the  written  consent  of 
the  person  to  whom  they  are  responsible. 

“7.  That,  as  a general  rule,  books  should  be  sold  and  not 
given,  and  that  we  should  have  uniformity  of  prices.” 

Bishop  Foster,  I was  told,  who  was  the  visiting  bishop  at 
that  time,  however,  disapproved  of  these  regulations,  not  be- 
lieving in  the  principles  of  comity  which  they  expressed,  and 
so  the  action  of  the  Methodist  Mission  was  nullified.  The  rules 
have  nevertheless  been  the  practical  policy  of  the  Missions 
since. 

A better  plan  than  these  regulations  propose  or  than  terri- 
torial division,  is  to  be  found,  I believe,  in  Church  union.  I 
wish  there  could  be  one  Church  of  Christ  in  Korea.  The 
Catholics  and  the  missionaries  of  the  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel,  will  not  have  anything  to  do  with  the  Evan- 
gelical missionaries,  but  the  latter  surely  should  unite,  now, 
when  the  elements  of  the  Korean  Church  are  plastic.  What 
are  the  matters  which  divide  these  new  bodies  of  Christians  in 
comparison  with  their  common  interests  and  beliefs?  There  is 
one  Presbyterian  Church  at  present.  The  Methodist  churches 
have  not  united  yet.  Dr.  Reid  and  others  are  opposed  to  un- 
ion, such  as  T believe  in.  Such  opposition  will  probably  make 
it  impossible,  but  I hope  to  see  more  of  the  future  than  they, 
and  am  sure  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a bond  of  union  stronger  than 
the  forces  of  separation  which  divide  His  brethren  into  alien 
companies. 

V.  It  is  unnecessary  to  make  any  extended  statement  re- 
garding the  Mission  properties  in  Korea.  All  the  information 
that  was  gathered  is  available  for  the  Board  when  need  for  it 
arises.  If  the  Boys’  School  buildings  are  sold,  our  original 
properties  in  Seoul  will  be  considerably  diminished,  but  we 
have  all  we  need.  All  of  our  properties  in  Seoul,  Fusan,  and 
Gensan  are  secure,  and  doubtless  the  Pyeng  Yang  properties 
also  are,  yet  these  last  are  not  in  an  open  port.  The  open  port 
in  the  north  is  Chiknampo,  and  if  Russia  wished  we  might  pos- 
sibly be  molested  in  Pyeng  Yang.  The  only  piece  of  property 
we  have  there  of  which  the  American  Legation  has  official 
cognizance  is  the  original  house  of  Mr.  Moffett’s.  Our  rights 
there  have  really  been  acknowledged,  however,as  the  Legation 
recovered  payment  for  damages  done  to  that  house  by  the 


48 

Japanese  during  the  war,  and  from  the  local  magistrate.  Thet 
Korean  Governmentand  the  peoplehave  had  most  friendly  feel- 
ings toward  America  and  Americans,  and  are  not  likely  of 
their  own  accord  to  obstruct  our  residence  anywhere  in  the- 
country. 

The  Mission  has  wisely  pursued  the  policy  of  laying  the 
responsibility  for  building  churches  and  places  of  worship  upon 
the  people.  Occasionally  they  have  been  given  a little  help, 
but  as  a rule  the  people  have  provided  such  places  themselves. 
Both  in  the  Chang  Dong  church  in  Seoul,  and  at  Pyeng  Yang 
need  is  felt  for  larger  church  buildings  than  it  is  believed  the- 
people  can  provide.  At  Pyeng  Yang  it  is  proposed  to  build 
one  that  will  seat,  on  the  floor,  of  course,  fifteen  hundred  peo- 
ple. In  these  larger  enterprises  some  of  the  missionaries  be- 
lieve help  should  be  given  on  a larger  scale.  It  may  be  that 
for  such  large  buildings  timbers  will  be  needed,  which  the 
people  could  not  provide.  They  would  have  to  be  shipped 
from  Manchuria,  or  from  the  extreme  north.  It  seems  to  me, 
though,  that  all  which  the  people  can  provide  they  should,  so 
that  the  churches  may  seem  to  them  their  own  and  not  the 
property  of  foreigners,  even  of  the  missionaries. 

VI.  During  the  past  year  Dr.  Underwood  and  Dj.  Vin- 
ton have  published  at  no  expense  to  the  Mission  a weekly  pa- 
per called  The  Christian  News,  printed,  of  course,  in  Unmun, 
the  written  vernacular.  This  and  Dr.  Jaisohn’s  paper  are  not 
the  only  publications  of  the  sort  in  Korea.  There  are  sev- 
eral others.  They  have  a great  influence,  in  quickening 
thought,  in  spreading  good  knowledge,  and  in  showing  the 
people  that  their  own  language  was  good,  that  Chinese  need 
not  be  their  master,  and  in  speaking  directly  to  the  heart  of  the 
people.  The  Korean  Government  itself  ordered  467  copies  of 
The  Christian  News  to  be  sent,  one  to  each  of  the  367  magis- 
tracies throughout  the  country  and  ten  to  each  of  the  ten  de- 
partments of  the  central  government,  the  King  himself  receiv- 
ing his  copies.  In  a number  issued  while  we  were  in  Korea, 
the  picture  of  the  King  was  published  by  his  permission.  The 
paper  has  contained  the  Sunday-school  lesson,  translation  and 
notes,  and  a great  deal  of  useful  information.  Some  of  the 
missionaries  feel  that  Dr.  Underwood  ought  to  give  the  time 
devoted  to  the  paper  to  Bible  translation,  but  he  seems  ready 
to  give  all  the  time  necessarv  to  this,  and  do  all  his  other  work 
besides.  While  sympathizing  with  the  desire  to  have  the  Bi- 
ble in  Korean  as  soon  as  it  can  be  well  and  thoroughly  done, 
and.not  believingthatthispapershould  absorb  all  of  any  man’s 
time,  it  still  seems  to  me  a very  useful  work.  It  is  an  eight- 
page  paper,  one  page  for  contributed  articles,  one  for  farming,. 


49 


one  for  arts  and  sciences,  one  for  editorials,  one  for  condensa- 
tion of  the  court  gazette,  one  page  and  two  columns  for  Sun- 
day-school lesson,  one  page  and  a little  more  for  church  and 
missionary  news  and  a prayer-meeting  talk.  On  the  last  page 
are  foreign  news  and  advertisements.  One  advertisement  se- 
cured the  sale  of  fifteen  American  plows. 

VII.  With  the  new  missionaries  who  have  been  sent 
out,  and  with  the  return  of  the  old  ones,  Korea’s  stations  will 
be  fairly  well  supplied.  There  is  a possibility  of  developing  a 
mission  too  fast,  as  well  as  too  slowly.  It  seems  .to  me  that, 
unless  new  stations  are  opened,  our  medical  force  is  large 
enough,  and  that  some,  at  least,  of  the  new  medical  women 
who  have  been  sent  are  needed  more  in  the  evangelistic  work 
than  in  localized  medical  work.  Our  experience  in  Laos  and 
elsewhere,  moreover,  has  shown  the  unwisdom  of  locating  sta- 
tions too  near  together;  and  if  new  stations  are  opened,  it 
seems  to  me  that  they  should  be  in  districts  where  it  is  evidently 
unsatisfactory  to  do  the  work  by  itineration  or  occasional  visi- 
tation and  residence.  Dr.  Nevius  contended  that  three  sta- 
tions were  sufficient  for  our  work  in  North  China,  Peking. 
Chinanfu  and  Chefoo.  That  view  has  not  prevailed.  But  we 
are  in  danger  of  going  to  the  other  extreme,  and  of  so  multi- 
plying stations  as  to  waste  Mission  force  by  overlapping 
spheres  of  influence.  The  unconscious  influence  of  the  mere 
presence  of  a Mission  station  is  powerful,  and  too  near  prox- 
imity of  stations  is  a profligate  use  of  this  influence  in  lands 
where  so  much  territory  is  yet  unpossessed. 

At  the  same  time  God  is  opening  Korea  now  in  a remark- 
able way.  In  scores  of  villages  the  people  want  teachers  of 
Christianity.  It  is  easy  to  exaggerate  the  spiritual  significance 
of  these  wants  as  the  people  express  them,  but  they  mean  as 
much,  I believe,  as  that  Paris  workingman  meant  who  told 
Dr.  McAll  that  there  were  many  ready  to  hear  a man  who 
came  and  spoke  to  their  real  needs,  and  so  voiced  the  call 
which  led  to  the  founding  of  the  McAll  Mission.  I believe 
that  it  is  well  within  the  truth  to  say  that  the  field  is  as  ripe 
in  Northern  Korea.  We  must  not  let  such  great  opportunities 
pass  by.  We  could  never  do  it  and  face  the  Lord  of  the  Har- 
vest. If  next  year  more  men  are  needed  we  should  send  more, 
who  could,  in  a measure,  relieve  some  who  know  the  language 
and  are  where  the  needs  are  less  pressing,  that  they,  too,  may 
press  into  the  fields  that  are  white.  The  present  opportuni- 
ties must  be  seized  by  men  who  can  speak.  Our  new  men  can  help 
only  by  relieving  such,  and  by  preparing  for  the  oppor- 
tunities for  which  we  hope  several  years  hence. 

Of  much  of  the  country  we  as  yet  know  little.  Only  the- 


50 


extreme  southern  end  of  Ham  Kiung  has  been  traversed,  and 
that  only  in  small  part.  The  north  of  the  province  is  unknown. 
It  should  be  visited.  The  Mission  proposes  to  have  Mr.  Swal- 
len  make  a full  itinerating  tour.  I approve  of  this  if  it  is  done 
thoroughly.  A mere  coast  journey  or  a short  trip  will  not  suf- 
fice, however.  If  the  Methodists  would  take  this  province  and 
leave  us  Pyeng  Yang,  each  could  be  better  worked.  No  itin- 
erating trips  have  been  made  as  yet  to  the  extreme  north 
of  Pyeng  Yang,  where  Mr.  Ross  reported  some  years  ago 
many  Christians.  Pluichon,  one  of  the  most  important  places 
in  the  north,  is  nearer  to  Pyeng  Yang  than  to  Moukden. 

It  can  scarcely  be  hoped  that  dangers  and  perils  are  not 
approaching  in  this  work  in  Korea.  At  a gathering  of  native 
Christians  we  asked  what  they  thought  the  possible  dangers  to 
the  Church  were,  and  they  answered:  (i)  The  jealousy  of  the 
Confucianists,  as  they  see  the  work  growing ; (2)  the  stealing  of 
evil  men  into  the  Church;  (3)  success  and  corruption.  “We 
shall  need  persecution,”  said  Pong.  “If  a man  wants  rice, 
there  must  be  hulling  and  beating  before  the  fine  rice  can  be 
got.”  “Then  the  men  of  little  faith  will  drop  out  and  become 
persecutors,”  added  another.  (4)  The  coming  of  unbelievers 
from  abroad,  who  will  deny  the  truths  of  Christianity ; (5) 
faction  and  schism  in  the  Church;  (6)  incoming  of  Western 
civilization  and  the  spirit  of  money-getting.  The  missionaries 
have  tried  to  prepare  the  Christians  for  these  dangers  which 
are  before  them.  The  work  has  been  solidly  done.  Now 
when  the  testing  comes  we  can  only  watch  and  see  how  much 
is  chaff  and  dross,  and  how  much  will  abide  the  trying  of  the 
fire. 

Let  us  hope  that  for  many  years  yet  the  work  may  flourish 
prosperously.  It  has  but  just  begun.  There  are  only  hun- 
dreds of  Christians  now  where  we  must  pray  and  work  for 
thousands.  The  churches  are  small  and  unorganized,  not 
ready  for  any  heavy  ecclesiastical  development.  The  people 
are  in  the.  early  stages  of  instruction.  There  will  be  need  for 
schools  and  solid  educational  work.  Let  us  hope  that  the 
same  Spirit  who  has  thus  far  guided  the  Mission  so  wisely, 
may  direct  the  Mission  and  the  Board  in  their  future  conduct 
of  their  interesting  work. 

V.  Conclusion. 

This  report  completes  my  reports  to  the  Board  on  the 
work  of  the  past  year.  I am  grateful  to  God  for  the  privilege 
of  having  visited  the  Missions  in  Persia,  China,  Japan  and  Ko- 
rea, and  for  His  loving  goodness  and  care.  It  has  been  a great 


/ 


51 

blessing  to  see  the  work  and  to  mark  its  solid  and  enduring 
character;  to  meet  the  native  Christians  and  to  be  unmistak- 
ably assured  of  their  genuineness,  earnestness  and  sincerity, 
and,  best  of  all,  I am  tempted  to  say,  to  associate  with  the  mis- 
sionaries in  such  close  and  intimate  friendship,  to  visit  them 
in  their  homes,  to  accompany  them  on  their  journeys,  to  watch 
them  at  their  work.  In  these  days  when  they  are  so  often 
criticized  and  the  spirit  of  distrust  is  so  prevalent,  I wish  to 
bear  unhesitating  and  honest  testimony  to  their  fidelity,  their 
devotion,  their  capacity.  They  are  worthy,  I will  not  say  of 
admiration— for  that,  they  do  not  care — but  of  confidence  and 
love.  There  may  be  exceptions.  Perhaps  I have  met  a few. 
But  I am  not  sure.  I believe  in  our  missionaries  with  all  my 
heart,  and  I trust  them ; and  I believe  and  trust  more  fully' now 
even,  at  the  end  of  this  tour,  than  at  the  beginning.  And  my 
respect  for  their  character  and  ability  has  been  deepened,  on 
the  whole,  by  observation  of  their  work,their  practical  wisdom 
and  their  results. 

Many  are  saying  in  these  days  that  the  mission  work  needs 
to  be  established  on  new  foundations;  that  it  must  rest  in  its 
presentation  to  the  Churches  on  new  grounds  of  appeal,  and 
that  in  the  adaptation  and  offer  of  the  Gospel  to  the  nations,new 
statements  and  altered  methods  are  the  requirement  of  the 
hour.  Why?  Has  a new  Gospel  supplanted  the  old?  Has  hu- 
man nature  altered?  Do  not  the  old  grounds  of  appeal  still 
hold,  that  men  everywhere  utterly  need  the  Gospel,  and  that 
the  Savior  is  the  Savior  of  the  world?  Are  not  the  old  meth- 
ods of  loving  persuasion,  of  Christian  nurture, of  solid  training, 
the  only  satisfactory  methods  still?  If  we  are  prepared  to 
abandon  our  evangelical  convictions,  or  to  adopt  views  of  hu- 
man nature — what  it  is  and  what  it  will  do — which  our  own  na- 
tures belie,  we  can  make  radical  changes  in  our  grounds  of  ap- 
peal and  in  our  methods  of  work.  Not  otherwise. 

And  yet  I believe  there  is  room  for  improvement.  There 
assuredly  is  in  the  matter  of  committing  the  home  Church  tu 
this  its  chief  work  and  mission.  And  in  our  methods  of  work 
on  the  field  there  is  room  for  a better  balance,  a wiser  adapta- 
tion of  means  to  end,  a wiser  proportion  of  work.  The  great 
difficulty  is  that  the  home  Church  projects  itself  upon  the 
mission  field,  with  the  ideas  and  methods  adjusted  to  our  ad- 
vanced condition,  while  the  conditions  on  the  mission  field  are 
elementary  and  primitive.  Our  philanthropic,  sociological, 
educational  schemes  are  good  enough  for  our  conditions,  per- 
haps, but  what  is  needed  on  the  mission  field  is  the  simplest  ad- 
justment of  forces  to  do  the  simplest  fundamental  work.  Men 
and  women  in  primitive  grades  of  society,  compared  with  ours. 


52 


are  to  be  met  and  given  entrance  to  the  Christian  Cliurch.  It 
must  be  in  a form  level  "with  their  needs  and  uses.  It  must 
be  their  Church,  nor  our  Church,  \vhich  is  established — a 
Church  which  can  be  immediately  theirs,  not  one  for  which, 
or  for  the  full  enjoyment  or  administration  of  which,  they 
need  a long  social  or  industrial  preparation.  To  this  end  edu- 
cational and  philanthropic  work  should  be  ruled  with  clean 
and  sharp  aim,  and  held  in  just  limitation.  To  deem  and  do 
^s  good  on  the  mission  field,  as  part  of  the  mission  enterprise, 
anything  and  everything  which  is  regarded  as  good  at  home, 
is  wasteful,  and  it  is  not  sensible.  We  are  the  preachers  of 
Moses  and  the  prophets,  and,  most  of  all,  of  Christ.  We  are 
the  founders  of  His  Church,  not  in  the  sense  of  its  American 
institutional  development,  but  in  the  sense  of  its  primitive  spir- 
itual simplicity.  Let  us  make  all  our  work  tell  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  these  definite,  elementary,  spiritual  ends.  To 
whoever  does  this,  all  other  things  will  be  added  in  God’s 
time,  which  is  better  than  man’s  prematureness. 

Yet,  though  the  aim  be  simple — the  planting  of  Christ 
Himself,  not  as  an  idea  or  an  institution,  but  in  His  living  force 
of  law  and  love,  in  Persia,  China,  Korea  and  Japan — the  work 
is  complex  and  extensive,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  it  will 
always  appear  to  be  so.  But  its  difficulties  will  be  less  and  its 
policies  will  be  clearer,  as  the  aim  is  kept  well  defined,  as  the 
spirit  of  strength  and  purity,  of  simplicity  and  life  is  recognized 
as  fundamental  and  essential,  and  as  experience  develops  those 
practical  limitations  of  project  and  method  which  are  set  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  in  things  themselves  and  in  the  nature  of  man. 

Robert  E.  Speer. 

New  York  City,  November  20,  1897. 


